Luizomar de Moura eyes back-to-back Olympic Games with Kenya’s Malkia Strikers through Volleyball Empowerment

Brazilian coach Luizomar de Moura is confident of guiding Kenya to the Olympic Games Paris 2024 as he takes charge of the qualification campaign that will include the FIVB Challenger Cup in July and African Nations Championship in August.

Luizomar was seconded to the Kenya women’s national team, aka the Malkia Strikers, by the FIVB as part of coach support project through the transformational Volleyball Empowerment Programme that aims to help national teams reach their full potential.

The Brazilian first took charge of Kenya in preparation for and during the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 where Kenya competed against some of the world’s best teams. It was at last year’s FIVB Women’s Volleyball World Championship that Luizomar’s impact came to the fore with Kenya stunning rivals Cameroon 3-0 before posting a good performance against European champions Italy and taking a set in their 3-1 loss to Puerto Rico.

Reflecting on his most recent assignment with Team Kenya, Luizomar said the team is ready to continue their journey.

“We achieved our objectives at the World Championship, and I want to thank the ladies for the commitment and hard work they put in. Their efforts were rewarded by four players joining foreign leagues and I believe that we can only get better from there.

“It’s always a great privilege to work with this Kenyan team and I want to thank the FIVB for this opportunity through the Volleyball Empowerment programme. As usual, I’ve been received warmly by the Kenyan volleyball family and I’m looking forward to an exciting qualification campaign,” said Luizomar.

The 57-year-old has hit the ground running, working closely with his local assistant Paul Bitok to select a provisional squad of 20 for the two upcoming competitions where Kenya will be looking to gain FIVB World Ranking points to qualify for the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

“We have two important competitions coming up and we will have separate objectives for each of them. It’s great that we have the opportunity to play in an international competition like the FIVB Challenger Cup because this will ensure we raise the bar in terms of preparations and performance like we have done previously in other high-level competitions,” offered Luizomar.

“The African competition is of course the most important for us because we have to win to ensure we get closer to qualifying for the Olympic Games. It’s a unique experience for me since I have not been to a continental competition with such high stakes before, and I’m constantly in consultation with local coaches and players on what to expect so that we can prepare in the best way possible,” he explained.

Kenya Pipeline opposite Loice Simiyu is one of the youngsters in Luizomar’s provisional squad for the upcoming FIVB Challenger Cup and African Nations Championship (Photo credits: SAMUEL GACHARIRA)

There are a number of new faces in Luizomar’s provisional squad and the Brazilian insists he had one eye on transition during the selection process. Youngsters Loice Simiyu, Juliana Namutira and Delphine Misoki have earned their maiden call-ups, promising outside hitter Jemimah Siang’u is in the fold, while seasoned players like Rose Magoi, Leonida Kasaya, Esther Mutinda and Trizah Atuka have made a return to the national team.

“We must keep in mind transition because it ensures there is continuity in the team. It has been a rigorous selection process that has been done in conjunction with the local coaches in Kenya and I believe we have a stronger group than before. The plan is to continue developing young talent and build their confidence so that they can take over from the experienced players in future,” underlined Luizomar.

As part of preparations for the two competitions, Kenya will camp in Morocco from 10 June before travelling to France for the FIVB Challenger Cup set for 25 to 31 July. Afterwards, the team will depart to Cameroon for the African Nations Championship scheduled for 6 to 18 August.

The Volleyball Empowerment project in Kenya is also supported by the Kenya Volleyball Federation, National Olympic Committee of Kenya and the Government of Kenya through the Ministry of Sports.