04/12/2022
Africa
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Zone 6 Qualifiers for the 2023 FIBA U16 African Championships underway in Lilongwe

 

LILONGWE (Malawi) - The FIBA Africa Zone 6 qualifiers for next year's U16 African Championship for boys and girls got underway on Friday in Lilongwe, Malawi.

The event taking place until Friday, December 9 - at the newly-built Grifdin Saenda Sports Complex in Lilongwe -  is being organised under special circumstances.

FIBA Africa Zone 6 teamed up with the African Union Sports Council (AUSC) - the hosts of the 2022 Region 5 Youth Games to promote sports in the Southern African region. As well basketball (3 on 3 is also included), the regional event includes other olympic sports. 

The six participating basketball teams consist of players under the age of 16, and the teams that finish in the top two places will earn the right to represent FIBA Africa Zone 6 in the 2023 FIBA U16 African Championships. 

Nations participating in basketball in the AUSC 2022 Region 5 Youth Games are as follows: Angola, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. 

The event's competition systems follows a round robin format.

Talking to FIBA.basketball FIBA Africa Zone 6 President Paulo Madeira noted "Our commitment focuses on both boys and girls basketball in our region without any kind of discrimination."  

"This qualifiers for the FIBA U16 African Championship is highly important for the region as a whole, and that's reflected in the positive feedback that we are receiving from sports shareholders in this part of the continent. And, as a result, we are benefiting from new infra-structures. The growing basketball community in the region has allowed us to develop referee clinics, coaching, table officials, which, in the near future, could help the game of basketball in the region grow even further. 

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"In my opinion," Madeira continued: "it's important to make FIBA leadership aware of the need to keep supporting what has been done in our region in order to allow us to reach our common goals." 

 

This year's African Uniion Region 5 Youth Games was officially inaugurated by Malawi Lazarus Chakwera and the President of  Mozambique Filipe Nyuse. The official opening ceremony took place at Bingu national stadium in Lilongwe.

FIBA