Basketball championships preps in full swing
Calistus Kolantsho | Thursday August 24, 2017 16:24
The Local Organising Committee (LOC) chairperson, Terrence Showa told Mmegi Sport they expect many basketball fans to come in numbers and support the tournament to be played at the University of Botswana courts. Showa said the sport is bigger than football in other countries such as Angola, but locally it is still behind.
“We have engaged different stakeholders such as Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) and Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC) amongst others.
Preparations are at an advanced stage and we are looking forward to a smooth event,” Showa said.
He said they are finalising negotiations for broadcasting rights because they want the championships to be broadcast across the region. Regarding match officials, Showa said since the club championship is FIBA sanctioned, the matches would be taken care of by officials from other Zones. He said that is the practice, and local referees officiate in other regions.
Meanwhile, BBA president, Boineelo Hardy is in Mali attending the FIBA Women’s Afrobasket 2017 finals. Competing teams qualified after finishing in the top two positions in their respective zones. Hardy said that the top two teams will qualify for the FIBA World Cup. Angola and Mozambique are representing Zone VI at the competition.
“I am attending this competition for the first time and I am the only woman president in Africa. I now have a clear picture of teams and how they are structured,” she said. Hardy said the competition gave her an idea of how a basketball competition is organised. She said the event came at the right time when BBA is preparing for the Zone VI championships.