Jamaica to host second round Olympic volleyball qualifiers

Folowing the successful hosting of the first round of the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association's Women's Olympic Beach Volleyball qualifiers in May, Jamaica has been selected to host the second round of qualifiers for the Rio Games in January 2016.

Jamaica, Cayman, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, Barbados and the US Virgin Islands, will compete against six other teams from the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association on January 29, 30 and 31 in Ocho Rios.

The men's tournament has been set for St Lucia on dates to be announced. Jamaica's men finished second in their competition in May, qualifying for the second round along with Trinidad and Tobago, Curacao, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname and Barbados.

Rudolph Speid, president of the Jamaica Volleyball Association (JaVA) said Jamaica being chosen to host the second round of the Olympic qualifiers is testament to the high standard of the tournament the country hosted in May.

"NORCECA's President Cristobal Marte Hoffiz wrote to the FIVB President Ary Garcia saying that the quality of the tournament was equivalent to an FIVB Open Tournament," Speid said.

"We asked if we could host and we got it, we just didn't know that dates."

He received confirmation of the dates on Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, Jamaica's male and female teams have stepped up preparations for the upcoming tournaments.

The JaVA president revealed that Sasha Lee Wallen and Danielle Perry are attending training camp in Florida while Canada-based Alicia Malcolm and Kai Wright are also in training. Weekend camps are also being planned in the build up to the qualifiers.

All four women have were members of the Jamaican teams that won the qualifier in May, the first time ever the country was winning a CAZOVA tournament.

The men's teams are also in preparation for their tournament in St Lucia.