BTA trains local umpires

So far, Botswana does not have umpires with qualifications to officiate high profile tournaments, forcing BTA to spend a lot of money to bring in foreigners every year. BTA administrator Tuelo Serufho said a tennis tournament usually goes on for a week and hiring foreign umpires can be very expensive.

"We have to pay for flights, hotel accommodation and match fees, which amounts to US$1,000 a week. In some international tournaments that we host, we are required to bring in four match officials, that means spending a lot on them," Serufho said. He asserted that the BTA has started training locals to acquire international qualifications to save costs.