The National Social Security Fund (NSSF) and Kampala Amateur Volleyball Club (KAVC) have officially launched the 26th edition of the NSSF KAVC International Volleyball Tournament.
The launch event took place at the Uganda Olympic Committee (UOC) headquarters in Lugogo on Thursday August 1.
The tournament will take place from tomorrow Friday, August 2 to Sunday, August 4, and will feature teams from across the region, with matches taking place at the Lugogo Indoor Stadium and the Hockey Pitch as an auxiliary venue.
Irene Kiconco, President of KAVC, expressed confidence in the preparations and invited fans to attend in large numbers.
“I believe we’re ready to host the tournament. Our fans, you’re so welcome. Come to Lugogo and watch starting from tomorrow,” she said.
NSSF, the lead sponsor that has supported the annual event for the past 15 years, contributed UGX 45 million towards this year’s tournament.
Sammy Laloyo, Chairman of the Memorial Organisers Committee (MeOC) of the tournament highlighted the importance of this partnership.
“This year is the 26th edition of the tournament and we’re marking 15 years with our sponsors NSSF. I’m very glad that we have our sponsors to hold our hands during the tournament,” Laloyo stated.
Other partners include NBS Sport, which will broadcast the games live, Pallisa Agro-Processors, Pepsi, Goodlife Pharmacy, UOC, Ministry of Health, and the Uganda Volleyball Federation (UVF), among others.
The tournament will see participation from 11 local men’s teams, including KAVC-A, KAVC-B, KCCA, Police VC, Prisons, Elyon, Bukedea, Andele University, Sky, and more.
The women’s category will feature 11 teams as well, such as KAVC-A, KCCA, COBAP, Ndejje University, VVC, Espoir, Seroma, Elyon, UPDF, and Kampala University Bukedea.
Foreign teams have also confirmed their participation, with 7 teams from Burundi, 4 from Rwanda, 3 from South Sudan, 3 from Kenya, and 2 from Tanzania.
Notably, the tournament will introduce two new categories this year: Corporate Teams and Secondary Schools involvement.
Corporate teams such as NBS, DTBank, Centenary Bank, URA, Total Energies, ABSA Bank, NWSC, Parliament of Uganda, Uganda Cancer Institute, and Housing Finance Bank will compete.
Secondary schools like Nabisunsa Girls’ Secondary School and Mariam High School will also participate.
Laloyo announced that teams from Burundi, including MOSO Sugar and Rukinzo, as well as Rwanda’s KEPLER and APR, have already arrived in the country.
“This year’s competition is going to be quite stiff because the Rwandans have come for us in full swing, but we’re ready for them,” she added.
Christine Kobutungi, a KAVC Ladies player, shared her team’s readiness and determination saying, “KAVC Ladies team is very ready for this tournament. This is a new year so we have different energy.
“Last year we were not able to reach the finals; we got off from the quarters. But since this is our tournament, we’re hoping to put up a show,” she said.
Ayebale Happy, a KAVC Men’s player, echoed this sentiment.
“We’re well prepared for this tournament. We trained enough and had ample time for indoor training sessions and team bonding. So we’re ready.”
The defending champions, Rwanda National Police in the men’s category and Armée Patriotique Rwandaise (APR) in the women’s category, will be returning to defend their titles.
Last year, both teams emerged victorious, with APR defeating Uganda’s Ndejje University and Rwanda National Police overcoming Burundi’s Rukinzo Volleyball Club in the finals.
A technical meeting will be held later today at the UOC boardroom to confirm all participating teams, make draws, and publish the preliminary fixtures. The meeting, starting at 7:00 p.m., will also clarify local regulations to participants.
The tournament schedule includes preliminary matches starting on Friday, quarter-finals on Saturday, and finals on Sunday.
