Volleyball Cranes training called off as Africa Cup participation hangs in the balance

The Uganda Volleyball Cranes’ chances of participating in this year’s CAVB Men’s African Nations Championship are fading by the day.

Having finished fifth two years ago in Kigali, Rwanda, the Cranes look set to miss this year’s action in Cairo, Egypt, due to financial constraints.

Uganda Volleyball Federation has already sent the women’s team for their own championship in Yaoundé, Cameroon, but sources revealed to Pulse Sports that there was no government backing.

The men’s team have now seen their training for the action in Egypt suspended, with no clear position as to whether it will resume soon.

Sources close to the federation have, however, revealed that there is no money to take the team to Egypt and pulling out of the competition is the next step.

“It is very likely that the men’s team will not go to Egypt,” the source revealed.

Should the Cranes fail to make the trip, they will become the latest team to miss out on an international competition due to a lack of funding from the government.

The national senior men’s basketball team, Silverbacks, missed out on taking part in the Pre-Olympic Qualifiers in Lagos, Nigeria, for the same reasons.

The Volleyball Cranes are now scheduled to meet UVF President Sadick Nasiwu on Saturday and will find out whether they will make the trip.

By the time of calling off training, the team had held just one session under new head coach Protus Soita.