National women's volleyball team coach David Lung'aho is confident Kenya will reach the final of the forthcoming FIVB World Cup and qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

The Volleyball World Cup serves off on August 22 in Tokyo, and the top two teams in the 12-nation tournament will gain automatic qualification to next year's Olympics in Brazil.

Lung'aho told Nation Sport on Monday that having conquered tough opponents in the African Nations Championships and the FIVB World Grand Prix, his next mission is to play competitively at the Olympics.

POSITIVE RESULTS

"This team has recorded positive results this year and the girls are getting even better. Previously, we have been going to such competitions as participants but this year, we are going there as competitors," Lung'aho who also coaches Kenya Prisons women's team, said.

"This year, we are aware no team will take us lightly but the girls have vowed to reach the final so that we have a clear chance of featuring in next year's Olympics."

The team has been in a three-week residential training at Kasarani and is scheduled to leave on Thursday for a week-long training camp in Tokyo ahead of the tournament. The training camp is meant to help players acclimatise to humid weather in Japan.

Meanwhile, a second-string national team will represent Kenya at the All Africa Games in Congo Brazzaville next month.

"The level of competition in this tournament will definitely be higher than what we are used to and we are very thankful to our hosts for organizing and funding the training camp.

"Japan is very humid at this time of the year and so going there a week in advance will ensure that the players are well acclimatized when the tournament eventually begins," Kenya Volleyball Federation chairman Waithaka Kioni said.

Kenya finished last in the 2011 FIVB World Cup in Japan under then coach Paul Bitok, and this will be Lung'aho's first time to take the national team to the World Cup as head coach.