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Press release
Excitement looms in Abuja as teams gather for women's Continental Cup finals
Mauritius represented Africa at the London 2012 Olympic Games
Abuja, Nigeria, April 14, 2016 - The women’s CAVB Continental Cup begins on Thursday and by Sunday April 17 one country will have booked a place at the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games.
Ten countries have converged on the Nigerian capital of Abuja for four days of excitement and euphoria in search of an Olympic berth. Hosts Nigeria line up in Group A opposite Burkina Faso, Egypt, Gambia, Mauritius and Mozambique. Group B is made up of Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Namibia, Rwanda and Sierra Leone.
Teams will play every other country in their pool with the top two sides qualifying for the semifinals. The third and fourth teams will play for the 5 to 8 places, while the 5th and 6th ranked teams play for the 9 to 12 places.
For the teams that finish in second and third place there is a second chance to reach Copacabana Beach as they qualify for the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Continental Cup where the winners and runners-up will earn their country the final two berths at Rio 2016.
This year 24 national federations have participated across the competition in both genders, a huge increase from the previous tournament that booked Mauritius a place at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
“Africa is blessed with physical strength, beautiful beaches and white sands so with those we can promote the game of beach volleyball in our continent,†CAVB Director of Beach Volleyball at CAVB May Alaa said.
At Rio 2016 beach volleyball will run from August 6 to August 18 at the sport’s spiritual home, Copacabana Beach. The men's CAVB Continental Cup Final takes place in Tunisia from May 3-9.
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