The team is taking part in the Confederation of African Tennis (CAT)/International Tennis Federation (ITF) continental tournament. The tournament started on Saturday (July 6) and comes to an end tomorrow (July 9). The tournament is attended by players from Namibia (hosts), Egypt, Kenya, Botswana, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. The Botswana Tennis Association (BTA) president, Oaitse Thipe, told SportMonitor that they have sent a team of 11 players to the tournament, five players from Francistown while six players are based in Gaborone. He explained that the players are the best Under-14 boys and girls in the country and they are expected to be the tournament champions.
Thipe said having players from outside Gaborone in the team is an indication that the BTA’s development programme is bearing fruits. “Some of the players have just been selected for the national Under-12 team that will play a regional tournament in Mozambique end of July. The CAT/ITF tournament ends on Tuesday. From there they will play another tournament starting on Wednesday until Saturday. This tournament is very important, it carries continental points to qualify for the African Junior Championships Under-14, which will be played on clay courts,” he said.
