19 Mar 2015

Botswana will host the All Africa Under-19 Squash Championships later this month.

The seven day event, which would start on March 25, will be held at the National Squash Centre in Gaborone. Botswana Squash Rackets Association (BSRA) won a bid to host the c,hampionships last year, and it would be the second time they host the competition after successfully doing so in 2007.

Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee, Letso Ramahobo said the competition had been funded with P650 000 by Botswana National Sports Council (BNSC). “It is a development tournament, the main purpose of the competitions is to help and develop squash as a sport in the country,” Ramahobo said during a press conference on March 17.

He further said the team that would represent Botswana will be made up of two boys and girls in each age category. He explained that in a quest to develop squash, they had set up four centers around the country, which were located in Gaborone, Jwaneng, Francistown, and in Selebi Phikwe. He said each centre has 150 junior players.

Furthermore, he appealed to private businesses to invest in youth development through sponsoring sports, which will benefit them in the long run as an advertising tool.

BNSC sports development manager (technical) Bobby Gaseitsiwe highlighted that BNSC supported initiatives like the Under-19 championship because it is where development starts.

Eight African countries are expected to take part in the competition, which are Botswana, Egypt, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. ENDS