The Rwandan team flew out of the country on Tuesday for this year's Africa Volleyball Youth Championships scheduled to run from January 21 to February 1 in Algeria.

The delegation, which comprised 12 players, two coaches, one official and a journalist, left the country aboard Ethiopian airlines to Addi Ababa from where they will connect to Algiers.

The team is being coached by Jean Marie Nsengiyumva, assisted by Dominic Ntawangundi Sesonga.

Teams that have qualified for the championships include Tunisia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Rwanda, Libya, Burundi, Sudan and South Africa as well as hosts Algeria.

Speaking to Times Sport before departure Nsengiyumva said, "We selected the best players, who we believe are capable to compete and not just to participate. We have been training with a pool of 19 players from which we selected the best 12."

Initially, the team was supposed to pass through Kenya and play a couple of build-up matches before proceeding to Algeria but the plan was changed due to unspecified reasons.

The team:

Sylvestre Ndayisabye, Jean Claude Ndacyayisenga, Samuel Niyogisubizo, Robert Nshimiyimana, Patrick Ruzindana, Diogène Mukotanyi, Jacques Iradukunda, Jean Luc Rutayisire, Bosco Hishamunda, Elias Ndagano, Oreste Muhirwa Gabo and Eugène Nkotanyi.