The Gambian girls` beach volleyball team secured a silver medal at the first-ever CAVB U18 Youth Development Cup, hosted on home soil at Kasumai Beach in Banjul from September 4-6. This remarkable achievement was made possible through the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment programme.
This competition, a joint initiative by Olympic Solidarity and the FIVB, serves as a crucial preparatory event for the Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026. It forms a component of a broader Youth Athlete Development Programme, which integrates competitive play with continuous, long-term investment in young athletes.
The FIVB has committed USD 42,000 to a year-long youth beach volleyball initiative in The Gambia, with Félix Lopez appointed as the coach for the junior girls` team.
Girls` Competition Highlights
Hoja Njie and Mariama Sambou of The Gambia demonstrated strong performance, winning four consecutive matches to reach the final. They dominated Pool A undefeated and then successfully navigated through their quarterfinal and semifinal matches.
In the semifinals, Njie and Sambou defeated Morocco`s Hafsa Bouysfi and Marwa Chalhaoui in straight sets (23-21, 23-21), securing their spot in the final where they experienced their only loss of the competition.
The Democratic Republic of Congo`s Ekete Moseka and Matatanu Mayala secured the gold medal, defeating the host team 2-0 (21-14, 21-18) in the final. Their path to victory included a tight 2-1 semifinal win (16-21, 21-16, 15-12) against Nigeria`s Pamela Miyoum Bawa and Odoh Ifechukwu Faustina.
Pamela and Faustina then comfortably won the third-place playoff against Bouysfi and Marwa (21-07, 21-12), earning Nigeria the bronze. Notably, Nigeria will also benefit from an FIVB Volleyball Empowerment Coach Support project, starting this month, with Luciano Regis leading all national beach volleyball teams.
Boys` Competition Highlights
In the boys` division, The Gambia`s Bakary Ensa Kanyi and Abdallah Bah demonstrated an exceptional performance, achieving a five-match winning streak that culminated in their gold medal victory.
Bakary and Bah secured their gold medal by defeating Sierra Leone`s Sulaiman Bangura and Alie Kainesie in straight sets (21-17, 21-16) in the final, completing a remarkable tournament run during which they lost only one set across five matches.
The Gambian duo`s 2-1 semifinal victory (21-16, 20-22, 15-08) against Morocco’s Adam Lahsini and Youssef Bouysfi marked the only instance they dropped a set, having previously dominated Pool A and the quarterfinals without a loss.
Sierra Leone`s Sulay and Ali advanced to the final after a 2-0 win (21-12, 21-15) over Ghana`s Justice Adusei Amoafo and Daniel Lartey. Subsequently, Justice and Dan regrouped to claim the bronze medal for Ghana, defeating Lahsini and Bouysfi 2-0 (21-17, 21-13) in the third-place playoff.
A total of 18 teams (9 boys` duos and 9 girls` pairs) representing 12 nations – Gambia, Morocco, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Cape Verde, Nigeria, Egypt, Tunisia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Namibia, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana – participated in the CAVB U18 Beach Volleyball Youth Development Cup in Banjul.
Concurrent Referee Development
Concurrently, the FIVB also facilitated the CAVB International Referee Candidates Course (IRCC) in The Gambia, investing USD 6,000 through its Volleyball Empowerment programme.
The course, which commenced on September 1, was officially opened by The Gambia’s Minister of Youth and Sport, Bakary Y Badgie. It was expertly led by Brazilian referee specialist Elzir Martins, with support from Ehab Narder of Egypt.
This initiative garnered significant interest, drawing 22 candidates from 20 distinct National Federations, alongside 7 observers.
Oliver Wrenwick 
Finley Blackwood