Basketball in Africa

Egypt’s U-20 basketball team defeated Rwanda 71-60 in an entertaining encounter to take gold in the just concluded Association of the National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) games. Hosts Kenya edged out Burundi 40-39 to take the third position. The inaugural games attracted teams from Egypt, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Uganda, Eritrea, Somalia and hosts Kenya, with teams participating in four disciplines; Basketball, Boxing, Athletics and Cycling. Egypt’s performance in basketball was expected, and their dominance follows closely in the footsteps of their senior team, which has dominated the game in the Africa Zone Five for more than two decades.
The ANOCA games patron, Kipchoge Keino; a veteran Kenyan athlete, and Chairman of the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK), pointed out that “It was important to lay a solid foundation for the youth in Africa”. “When the Olympics and the All Africa Games come, these athletes will be ready to compete, and that’s why we insist on them starting their preparations early” said Keino.