Wheel chair tennis launched in Botswana
Spira Tlhankane | Tuesday June 23, 2015 14:06
Speaking to Mmegi Sport, Wheelchair South Africa development manager, Patrick Selepe said their aim is to spread the game across Africa and encourage young people living with disabilities to take to the sport.
“To date, South Africa is the only country in Africa that has wheelchair tennis, so the main aim is to spread to other southern Africa countries such as Lesotho, Botswana and Zimbabwe,” he said.
Selepe said other countries like Zimbabwe and Nigeria were active in wheelchair tennis, but they had not yet reached the South Africa’s level.
He said launching wheelchair tennis in Botswana would help the country earn points and improve its global rankings in the sport.
The wheelchair tennis coach added that Wheelchair Tennis Botswana would affiliate to the Botswana Tennis Association (BTA).
Selepe said playing more tournaments would improve Botswana’s rankings, adding that the country would host a wheelchair tennis tournament next year.
“Wheel chair tennis players should participate in other tournaments overseas to improve their rankings and gain global exposure,” he said.
He, however, said to participate in Europe would be costly, but noted the official launch of the sport would now enable Botswana to host its own tournaments.
Selepe is ranked the third wheelchair tennis player in South Africa and 65th in the world. As a development manager, his job is to mentor new players across South Africa.
The wheelchair tennis star is also a wheelchair tennis coach and empire.