The Mamba Volleyball Club Family is hosting its second Beach Volleyball Tournament from December 20-22, featuring both veterans and National League players, with new thrills aimed at strengthening the bond among volleyball enthusiasts in Rwanda.
Following last year’s successful expansion from non-professional athlete competition to include National League players, Mamba aims to bring former volleyball legends of all ages together to exchange ideas on the development of the game, with an emphasis on life after retiring from professional volleyball.
The Veterans’ tournament began on November 13 with the preliminary round, featuring 13 pairs to save time and allocate enough space for the professional pairs during the three-day event in December.
According to Dieudonné Nzeyimana, Mamba’s Secretary-General, registration for league-affiliated players is still open until the end of this week.
Nzeyimana also stated that the format for the National League players’ competition has not been determined yet, as they are still finalizing the number of pairs that will participate. He added that they want this year’s tournament to be highly competitive.
“We aim to organize a top-level beach volleyball event that will motivate participants to continue developing their talents. We plan to triple the prize money compared to last year,” Nzeyimana said.
Mamba has not specified the prize money yet, as discussions with sponsors and partners are still ongoing; however, some deals are expected to be finalized within the next three days.
The group stages for both men’s and women’s National League players, along with the quarter-finals and semi-finals, will take place on December 20-21 at two selected locations: Mamba Club Kimihurura and Green Park-Gahanga. The finalists in each category will compete on Sunday, December 22, 2024, at Mamba Club Kimihurura.
The semi-finals and finals for the veterans will also take place from December 20-22, 2024, at Mamba Club Kimihurura.
The prestige of the Mamba Beach Volleyball Tournament 2024 will extend beyond the sand, with a special package available for volleyball fans attending the event.
Mamba and Green Park will offer special discounts on food and drinks, a professional DJ will entertain attendees, and there will be activities for kids, as well as other leisure sports
Reflecting on the previous edition, which marked the 15th anniversary of Mamba Volleyball Club and the beginning of the tournament’s expansion, the chairperson of the club, Mr. Christian Shingiro, emphasized that the love for volleyball should not end when professional players retire but should continue to spread and bring people together around the sport.
“We (Mamba) realized that the passion for volleyball should not stop at Kimihurura, where we are based, but should engage more people, including young talents, to stay focused and work hard to achieve more in their volleyball careers,” Shingiro added.
The chairman also stressed the importance of discipline and long-term vision in achieving success in any field. “No matter how much talent you have, discipline will make you last longer or cause you to quit soon,” he said.
On behalf of the Rwanda Volleyball Federation (FRVB), Secretary-General Philibert Mucyo praised the partnership with Mamba for this growing tournament.
“We want more athletes to compete in various competitions, and Mamba provides a significant solution. Not only are they organizing this tournament, but they are also helping us organize the Rwanda Beach Volleyball National Tour Round 2, scheduled for January, and Round 3, which will take place in Rubavu in May 2025,” Mucyo said.
“This is a strong partnership between the federation and the game’s legends to advance efforts supporting beach volleyball in Rwanda,” declared SG Mucyo.
Mamba is a non-FRVB-affiliated club based in Kimihurura, composed of former volleyball and beach volleyball players, as well as passionate volleyball enthusiasts.
Members of Club Mamba are committed to supporting the development of beach volleyball in Rwanda and plan to launch a beach volleyball academy in due course.
