Steep fees force squash tourney back to Gaborone

Thato Kala | Friday June 13, 2014 17:52

 

BSRA development coach, Conrad Ntshebe, said they could not afford what he called ‘exorbitant charges’ - P1,500 per day - to use the Lobatse facility for the three day event.

BSRA had wanted to host the national junior tournament in Lobatse where they intend to start development programmes. But Ntshebe said they cannot afford the P4,500 charged by the Botswana National Sport Council (BNSC). The three-day tournament will now be held at the National Squash Centre in Gaborone from today.

The BSRA has previously said it wants to take tournaments to places where there are government facilities.

In Lobatse, the squash association had invited schools and the community to sell the game to youngsters. “It was a matter of promoting the game in Lobatse, but unfortunately the people of Lobatse will only get a chance to see squash when this money issue is resolved. Nonetheless, the tournament will go on in Gaborone and is expected to attract 50 players from Jwaneng, Selebi-Phikwe, Francistown, Lobatse and Gaborone. The tournament will see boys and girls compete in the Under-11, Under-13, Under-14 and Under-16 categories,” he explained. He said this will be the first tournament in the BSRA junior squash series tour of events for 2014. 

Stakes will be high as the event will be used to pick the team that will represent the country at the World Junior Championships in Namibia in August.

America-based squash star, Alister Walker is in the country and is expected to grace the weekend tournament before playing in an exhibition tournament next weekend.

Meanwhile, efforts to get hold of BNSC officials to react to BSRA complains on the charges of using the Lobatse facility were fruitless as both the acting chief executive officer, Thato Kgosimore and chairman, Solly Reikeletseng are in Finland.