Rwanda's coach Paul Bitok is now concentrating on defeating Egypt in the semifinal of the Men's Junior African Nations Championship

Tunis, Tunisia, March 7, 2013 – The Kenyan coach of Rwanda’s men’s national volleyball team, Paul Bitok, has a renewed sense of optimism after his team qualified for the FIVB Men's Junior World Championship. This is the first time in Rwanda’s history that its national team has progressed so far in a volleyball continental championship and the coach and team hope to finish victorious in their semifinal match against Egypt on Friday.

Rwanda’s team has won only one gold medal at the Beach Volleyball Junior Cup last year. They are now looking to stamp their mark in volleyball as well.

"I'm happy with the performance of my team and I want to congratulate my players and also the local authorities for their support," said Bitok.

"I want to send a message to the government in Rwanda that this team satisfies their ambitions gained through the hard work they have put forward in the last few years. We finished fourth in both the Men’s and Women’s Junior championships two years ago and now we are looking forward to achieve more for the country,"

Bitok is responsible for coaching all the age category Rwandan teams in a programme that looks to bring together young players from all areas of the central African country to the three sporting centers.

"I attribute our progress over the last few years to three main reasons:  proper support from the government; regular participation in continental competitions; and the psychological and technical preparations for this event. I can now promise that Rwanda will be one of the top African countries in volleyball in the near future." he concluded.

Rwanda plays Egypt in the first semifinal of the African championship, while Tunisia meets Morocco in the second semifinal. In reaching the semifinals the four teams have secured the continental tickets to the FIVB Men's U21 World Championship to be held in Turkey later this year.

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