New dates for Fiba Zone Five Club tourney set

The long wait is finally over after Fiba Africa finally set November dates for the Zone Five Club Championships in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

The championships was in doubt due to the coronavirus pandemic which saw all sporting activities suspended.

But Fiba Africa in a virtual meeting at the weekend gave the event a nod and allowed the Zone Five secretariat to choose between Nairobi Kenya and Dar es Salaam for the staging of the tournament.

“I'm pleased to announce that our virtual meeting on Saturday gave a green light for the Fiba Club Championships to take place in November meaning that Kenya Ports Authority, who finished second at last year’s games in Dar es Salaam and Equity Bank who are the Kenyan champions, should start preparations for the same,” said Fiba Zone Five secretary Vitalis Gode.

The tournament's defending champions are JKL Dolphins from Uganda who beat KPA in the final last year.

According to Gode, Tanzania had indicated they were ready to host the championships yet again after their country opened up the economy in June. The other East African countries are still in some form of lock-down.

“Just like the Kenya Morans, who will be taking part in the Afrobasket qualifiers in Senegal from November 27, it is important that KPA women and Equity Bank start preparations early if Kenya is to make an impression at the championships,” said Gode.

He appealed to the teams to start training in isolation as they await the government directive on resumption of sports.

Gode also confirmed that the Basketball Africa League preliminaries, which were due for this October, will now be staged in January next year with Ulinzi Warriors the sole Kenyan representatives.

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