By Georgina Adegbie
Martin Melandi, the Technical Director of Nigeria Volleyball Federation (NVB), has expressed confidence in Nigeria’s team maintaining their top position in the 2025 CAVB Under 18 Boys and Girls Beach Volleyball Championship.
Melandi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja, that the team is not afraid of any country, but is determined to maintain their top ranking in Africa.
“We believe the team will finish on the podium because the team is well-prepared for the championship,” he said.
He said the importance of participating in international competitions is to boost the team’s rankings.
“The team has been in camp for about a month; they were training in Kaduna before being moved to Abuja so that they could acclimatise with the weather.
“We don’t want them to be strangers in their own soil. The team trained in the morning and evening to do some final preparations before the championship,” he said.
Melandi said that the female team is currently top of the rankings table and will fight to maintain their first position.
“These are new sets of players, with only four players having played in the championship before.
“This is a new set of players because of the age category competition; some of them have not played at this level before, only four players have played at this level,” he said.
According to Melandi, hosting the championship is a plus for Nigeria, and the team also needs to participate in more countries to boost their points for Olympic qualification.
“The team will also participate in the upcoming championship in Burundi, which will impact their Olympic rankings.
“A strong performance will not only boost their rankings but also demonstrate Nigeria’s prowess in beach volleyball,” he said.
NAN reports that 15 countries have arrived in Abuja to participate in the 2025 CAVB Under-18 Beach Volleyball Championship, which started today and is expected to end on Aug.7 (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Joseph Edeh
