There are seven days to go for the upcoming women’s Afrobasket qualifiers (Zone V) to get underway at the Kigali Arena on July 12. The continental showpiece will be played under strict Covid-19 guidelines. To hold a successful and safe tournament, organisers have established robust health and safety protocols based on guidance from the World Health Organization and the Africa Centre for Disease Control with advice from public health officials and medical experts. Landry Jabo, Executive Director of the Rwanda Basketball Federation explains how this tournament will be played under strict Covid-19 guidelines. How many teams have confirmed attendance? Only three countries have confirmed to participate in this year’s Afrobasket qualifiers including Kenya, South Sudan, Egypt and the host Rwanda. All national teams’ delegations arrive in Kigali on July 10, two days before the tournament. How will teams camp under covid-19 protocols? After arrival, all teams will do a mandatory Covid-19 test and then enter the bubble at Onomo Hotel and in the middle of the tournament will take the PCL test. To minimise the risk of contracting or spreading the Covid-19 virus, all games will take place at Kigali Arena, from July 12 to 17. Under which format will the competition be played? It depends on the number of teams that will attend this tournament but we will wait for FIBA to announce the format under which the tournament will be played. It could be played like a round-robin because of the small number of teams but we will wait for the decision from FIBA. The national women’s basketball team will represent the host country, Rwanda, in the tournament, and will be seeking to make the most of home advantage. Will fans be allowed in? No fans are allowed to go to the Kigali Arena to watch the games due to the growing number of Covid-19 infections these days. We are in talks with the RBA so that Rwandans will be able to watch these games and I am sure that they are going well.
