Rush for final tour slots as Fiba announces wildcards
Basketball
By
ERICK OCHIENG'
| Oct 06, 2016
As the championship enters penultimate stage here in Dar es Salaam, there is mad rush for qualification for the Fiba Africa Clubs Basketball Championship pupularly known as the Final Tour.
Clubs in the women’s round robin are careful not to lose points while those who have sailed to the semis in the men’s category are doing all they can to be flawless.
Only one final tour slot is reserved for the men in the Africa Zone V area and this is for the club that will lift the trophy in Dar but the finalists in the women category will automatically qualify for the final tour. But there is now temporary relief for teams after Fiba announced wild cards for the categories.
Second finisher in the men’s contest will now be entitled to a wild card same as to the second runners up in the women’s side. Last year, Kenya was represented at the women’s final tour in Mozambique by the United States International University who finished seventh overall.
Clinic for media and coaches
Fiba officials at the ongoing championship held a clinic for basketball coaches from the Africa Zone V area. The clinic is being conducted by Egyptian basketball coach and army veteran Samy El Sharonei.
El Sharonei noted there is great need for coaches to upgrade themselves in order to be conversant with the ever evolving basketball dynamics so as to raise the standard of the game in the zone.
Egypt withdraws from hosting final tour
Egypt has withdrawn from hosting the final tour for men that is slated later in the year. Initially, the men’s tour was to be held in Cairo then it was rerouted to the city of Alexandria after Cairo withdrawn.
But now all the Egyptian cities have withdrawn citing political reasons. Fiba officials have said the federation will announce the next possible city for the event as soon as possible.
But the women’s final tour remains unaffected as it will return back to Mozambique this year. Clubs from Egypt and Burundi failed to make it at the ongoing championship in Dar es Salaam due to political instability in their countries.