Botswana Netball Association (BONA) President, Tebogo Lebotse-Sebego, says her association is ready to host Africa.
Speaking in an interview, the BONA President said while preparations are ongoing, her association is confident it will host successful games.
She said so far, a lot of ground work has been covered and only a few details are lagging behind.
As part of the preparations, BONA has managed to lure Sprint Couriers to come on board as sponsors.
The company has put forward P50 000 in cash and has also promised to provide courier services for the games.
Aside from Sprint Couriers, BONA has already brought on board Oasis Motels who will be the games’ Hospitality Partner.
“We still have some sponsors who are willing to come on board and negotiations are ongoing. We are hopeful that by next week, we will announce some more partners for the games,” Lebotse-Sebego explained.
She said while the sponsorships may not be as big as the ones enjoyed by popular sports like football, they will help BONA to adequately deliver the games.
The BONA President said with each team bearing its own costs for the games, the burden of hosting the games will not be very heavy on the association. The situation is further helped by the Botswana National Sports Council (BNSC)’s willingness to give BONA operational support. “While they could not help us financially, they have given us the permission to use their facilities, provide transport for the teams during the games as well as help with other logistical support,” LebotseÔÇôSebego said.
Meanwhile, teams are expected to start arriving in the country this coming Friday ahead of the commencement of the games on Sunday.
At least eight countries, namely Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Uganda, Swaziland and Kenya along with host Botswana have confirmed their participation in the games.
The eight teams have already been divided into two pools, where they will play in a round robin system.
The top two in each pool will progress into the next elimination round to determine the ultimate two teams that will go to the World Cup.
In what promises to be an exciting tournament, Botswana finds herself in group A where they will pit their strength against Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Kenya. On the other hand, Group B will be made of Uganda, Namibia, Zambia and Swaziland.
The Africa World qualifiers, which will played at the BONA courts are schedule to take place from next week Sunday and end on September 30.
