体坛英语新闻：Africa volleyball coaches agree to start elite league

NAIROBI, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Africa top volleyball countries will form a special elite tournament prior to global competitions to tune up their preparations and boost their international exposure.

This was agreed here at the fifth Confederation of Africa Volleyball (CAVB) coaches' high performance seminar.

The seminar, which had 72 top coaches, was supervised by world renowned volleyball instructors Mauro Berutto of Italy and Egypt's Sherif El Shemerly.

The coaches, who have qualified for global events, gathered in Nairobi to map out the plan for the continent to present stronger teams to the World Championships, Olympic Games and World Cup.

Kenya, Cameroon, Egypt, Algeria and Tunisia are the countries with stronger leagues and international stars, with Kenya and Cameroon to compete in the Olympic qualifiers in Italy in August.

"It's important to start a relationship between our countries so that we organize regional tournaments and also play against one another in practice matches ahead of global competitions," said El Shemerly.

El Shemerly said he will talk to CAVB on the possibility of sending top coaches to other nations in an exchange program basis for crucial exposure and necessary experience.

"We must learn from the best leagues and the best players. Africa need to turn around a page and refocus on how best to conquer the world and make our league fully professional," he said.

The three-day seminar gathered 72 top coaches from Africa as they seek to familiarize themselves with the latest trends in volleyball coaching.