South Africa’s ‘Rainbow Nation’ volleyball team comprising, Lebogang Malahlela (Limpopo), Reyanka Kisten (KZN), Anneta Fredericksen and Bejancke Della (Western Cape), our pioneers in FIVB’s latest code will proudly fly the South African flag at the FIVB’s World Tour Snow Volleyball competition in Austria and Italy from 25 March to 8 April this year.
According to Volleyball South Africa’s Executive member, Gershon Rorich:
“ The FIVB event in Austria and Italy is an invitational tournament for National Federation players to participate in this global showpiece with a view to impress the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to include Snow Volleyball as a Winter Olympic code.”
Rorich who represented South Africa with Colin Pocock in beach volleyball at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games achieving a creditable 9th position was adamant that the invitation from the FIVB was for the Federation to select four female players as its representatives at the event and it is not a beach volleyball competition.
Rorich went on to say that while Beach Volleyball had entrenched itself as a Summer Olympic Games code in 1996 in Atlanta, USA , the FIVB was hopeful that with such invitational tournaments to popularise Snow Volleyball it could tip the scales in favour of including it as a code in the Winter Olympic Games by the IOC in the near future.
The FIVB is funding the trip for South Africa’s “ Rainbow Nation” team. Gershon Rorich will accompany the team as its manager/coach.
Donovan Nair VSA Secretary General
Image source : FIVB