Abuja, Nigeria, April 13, 2014 – Olympic dreams will be on the line when Nigeria host the women's CAVB Beach Volleyball Continental Cup with the winners booking their country at place at the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games.
The tournament begins today in Abuja and will conclude on Monday April 18. Teams will play every other country in their pool with the top two sides qualifying for the semifinal. 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.
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.
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.
The men's CAVB Continental Cup Final takes place in Tunisia from May 3-9.
At Rio 2016 beach volleyball will run from August 6 to August 18 at the sport’s spiritual home, Copacabana Beach.