11 January 2007
ZIMBABWE : Zim to Host Basketball Preliminaries
ZIMBABWE is set to host the All-Africa Games and Africa Cup of Nations preliminary basketball qualifiers at the City Sports Centre next month.
The games are scheduled for February 24 to March 3 and the Basketball Union of Zimbabwe has already started preparing for the event.
The joint preliminaries will involve Zone VI members, including Malawi, South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique and Zambia.
Zimbabwe re-affiliated to the world basketball governing body, Fiba, late last year after paying their affiliation fees and arrears with the association. Since then, the country has so far been granted the opportunity to host Fiba-sanctioned events among them the coaches' clinic and the referees' clinic in December last year.
BUZ chairman Addison Chiware said the games had given them a platform to show Fiba how committed they are to the game.
"It is a huge honour to be hosting such a big event on the African basketball calendar and this also gives us the opportunity to work with other administrators at a higher level.
"It's also an opportunity to network and gain experience from the happenings at the event.
"The deadline for all the Zone VI teams to register is on the 21st of this month and here, as Zimbabwe, we are running around with the preparations for the games.
"Zone VI are also helping us in the preparations and in also lobbying other countries to come and take part as the qualifiers will be for both the men and women's teams."We also want to show Fiba how dedicated and how serious we are when we host these qualifiers because already we have hosted other international events in the coaching and refereeing departments.
"We have shown commitment since the day we paid arrears and we have to get more serious as this would be an opportunity to market Zimbabwe through sport as well," said Chiware.
Meanwhile, the Harare Basketball Association League will resume this weekend after taking a three-week break for the festive season.
By Paul Munyuki
The games are scheduled for February 24 to March 3 and the Basketball Union of Zimbabwe has already started preparing for the event.
The joint preliminaries will involve Zone VI members, including Malawi, South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique and Zambia.
Zimbabwe re-affiliated to the world basketball governing body, Fiba, late last year after paying their affiliation fees and arrears with the association. Since then, the country has so far been granted the opportunity to host Fiba-sanctioned events among them the coaches' clinic and the referees' clinic in December last year.
BUZ chairman Addison Chiware said the games had given them a platform to show Fiba how committed they are to the game.
"It is a huge honour to be hosting such a big event on the African basketball calendar and this also gives us the opportunity to work with other administrators at a higher level.
"It's also an opportunity to network and gain experience from the happenings at the event.
"The deadline for all the Zone VI teams to register is on the 21st of this month and here, as Zimbabwe, we are running around with the preparations for the games.
"Zone VI are also helping us in the preparations and in also lobbying other countries to come and take part as the qualifiers will be for both the men and women's teams."We also want to show Fiba how dedicated and how serious we are when we host these qualifiers because already we have hosted other international events in the coaching and refereeing departments.
"We have shown commitment since the day we paid arrears and we have to get more serious as this would be an opportunity to market Zimbabwe through sport as well," said Chiware.
Meanwhile, the Harare Basketball Association League will resume this weekend after taking a three-week break for the festive season.
By Paul Munyuki
# posted by afrbk : 15:40
