The final stretch is underway. The pre-selected athletes are in full training camp ahead of the first U18 African Zone 7 Championship. The zonal tournament will take place from August 5 to 10 at the Mahamasina Sports Palace. So far, four islands in the Indian Ocean have confirmed their participation: Madagascar, Mauritius, Reunion, and Comoros for the boys, and Madagascar, Mauritius, and Reunion for the girls. Seychelles’ participation remains to be confirmed.
The “Big Island” will field two women’s teams and one men’s team. The first women’s team is coached by Danny from EVB Ihorombe, Tiana from GNVB, and Emma from Stef’Auto. The second is led by Tovo from BI’AS, Raphaël from MVBC, and Tsiry from Boeny, while the men’s selection is guided by Eric, coach of GNVB D1, Ndrianja from ASSM, and Lanto from ASI.
The pre-selected players primarily come from clubs in Analamanga, notably GNVB, ASI, Squad, and VBCD, with some individuals hailing from Boeny, Atsinanana, and Matsiatra-Ambony.
“Three expatriates, two from Canada and one from the United States, are expected to strengthen the men’s selection. One of them is scheduled to arrive today (yesterday). The preparation of their administrative files and the coverage of their airfare are currently being negotiated with the Ministry of Youth and Sports,” mentioned the National Technical Director, Hasimbola Famonjena Raoelison.
The first one to arrive is a former GNVB player who has been playing in Canada for the past two years. “I have carefully observed their style of play on video recently. They could bring added value to the team to achieve better results,” the NDT emphasized.
Confident
The coaches expressed confidence regarding the skill level and physique of the selected athletes. The training camp began in April, shortly after the U19 National Cup. Eighteen players were called up for each team, but only fourteen will be retained for this regional summit. “Reunion has always been our nemesis, but this time we aim to turn the situation around. They have good training following the French system—basic volleyball followed by competitive volleyball. Our players, on the other hand, possess early maturity,” reassured coach Tiana Randriamisasaona.
The selection no longer suffers from a lack of height, as the average is 1.74m, with the tallest players reaching 1.84m. Furthermore, the players who competed in the U17 African Cup in Tunisia last year and the silver medalists at the CJSOI Games make up a portion of the current squad.
Test matches are scheduled soon against men’s and women’s first-division teams from Analamanga.
By Serge Rasanda
Captured & Published at: 2026-07-10 06:43:21 (Madagascar Local Time EAT)
Original Source: https://www.lexpress.mg/2026/07/volleyball-championnat-dafrique-trois.html