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INTERNATIONAL Basketball Federation (Fiba) has postponed joint qualifiers for the Afro-basketball and All-Africa Games which were scheduled for Bulawayo next week to January 2015.The joint qualifiers involving Southern African countries were supposed to be held at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair from November 20 to 27 and were expected to be used as a trial run for December African Union Sports Council Region 5 Youth Games.
Joe Mujuru, the Basketball Union of Zimbabwe secretary-general, welcomed the postponement of the joint qualifiers, saying it would give them ample time to prepare.
“Honestly we are relieved that Fiba has postponed the joint qualifiers to January because there was great danger of the Afro-basketball and All-Africa Games moving to Harare. We are still hoping to hold the qualifiers here in Bulawayo and with the city getting top-of-the-range equipment after the Youth Games, we are set for exciting qualifiers,” Mujuru said.
Zimbabwe will compete against Botswana, South Africa, Zambia and Angola for a slot in the Afro-basketball Championships to be co-hosted by Tunisia and Cameroon while the All-Africa Games will be held in Congo-Brazzaville next year.
Meanwhile, Mujuru said as part of familiarising with the equipment to be used during the African Union Sports Council Region 5 Youth Games, they would organise a local tournament.
“Obviously it would have been great to have a regional competition before the December African Union Sports Council Region 5 Youth Games so that our officials know what to expect. Now that the qualifiers have been postponed, the noble thing is to hastily arrange a local tournament that will be a trial run for the Games,” said Mujuru.
Work is being done at the ZITF where basketball will be housed for the African Union Sports Council Region 5 Youth Games.
Online Reporter