13 Nov 2019

A South African tennis development manager says more growth is necessary for the development of wheelchair tennis.

Speaking at the commencement of a five-day wheelchair training programme at Botswana Tennis Association in Gaborone recently, Patrick Selepe said it was important that more countries increased their participation in the sport to improve competition.

He said countries needed to stage more competitions to produce athletes that would compete regionally.

Giving an overview of the programme, Selepe noted that well-developed countries had achieved success in the sport by directing more resources towards paralympic athletes to enable them to take advantage of emerging opportunities in the sport.

He also noted that the International Tennis Federation had challenges in secluded areas such as villages within Botswana where they could not access wheelchair-bound people.

He also said financial constraints limited their growth trajectory and improving the sport since he started coming to Botswana in 2015.

Participants expressed hope that the initiative would be a launching pad to professionalisation in the sport.

Pono Molosiwa said they had participated in the programme before, adding that it was beneficial to their health and would give them an opportunity to improve their rehabilitation process.

She also said that they looked forward to the growth of wheelchair tennis in the country since it would give them access to competitions and greater exposure internationally. ENDS