Water Services games: Wasco games start in Nyeri

Wasco games start in Nyeri Teddy Muturi of Nyeri Water & Sewerage Company (Nyewasco) pool team practices at the companies mess August 20, 2018, ahead of the start of the Water Companies Sports Organization (WASCO) games in Nyeri on Tuesday. [Mose sammy, Standard]

The ninth edition of the Water Services Companies’ Sports Organisation (Wasco) games begin today at various venues across Nyeri town as the tournament gets underway.

The 30 teams out of 47 teams that have confirmed participation arrived at the Wasco games villages yesterday.

Wasco Games 2018 are organised by Water service Providers Association (Waspa), Ministry of Sports, Ministry of Water & Irrigation and County governments at a cost of Sh5 million.

The teams are expected to slug it out in 15 disciplines that include ballgames such as football, volleyball and netball, board games, golf, athletics as well as cultural and folk dances that will be featured under a special category.

Indoor games that will be featured include; darts, pool, badminton, table tennis, squash. Board games include draughts, chess, ajua and scrabble.

Golf and athletics will be staged at Nyeri Golf Club.

Kamukunji grounds within Nyeri town will host the opening ceremony, volleyball and netball.

Volleyball champions Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company (NCWSC) will face modest competition from host Nyeri Water and Sewerage Company (Nyewasco) in volleyball.

Dedan Kimathi University of Technology will host most of the ball games while the newly refurbished Kabiruini show ground will play host to darts, chess, pool, scrabble, draughts, athletics as well as the closing ceremony.

Nyamachaki PCEA multi-purpose hall will be the venue for the cultural dances as well as the folk songs with Outspan hotel being the venue for squash while the Arch Bishop Kirima hall will host ajua, badminton and table tennis duels.

“Great sporting action will be on display for the next few days as the teams battle it out in the Wasco games. We expect over fifteen hundred participants to take part in various disciplines,” Elijah Obengo, the Wasco chairman, said.

Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company are the tournament favourites.

They feature in almost all the disciplines with a formidable volleyball team who are also the defending champions and will be out to prove their mettle.

Wasco games have so far been hosted in Thika (2010), Mombasa (2011), Nakuru (2012), Nairobi (2013), Eldoret (2014), Machakos (2015).

Mombasa then hosted the games for a second time in 2016 followed by Bungoma for the eight edition last year.

Wasco will use the games to select a team that will represent it at the East African Local Authorities (EALSK) games to be held later this year in Rwanda with Nairobi Water enjoying a wildcard selection to the event as the defending champions.

A women’s netball team will also be sent to the games as well as a women volleyball team that will be jointly selected from the participating teams from this event in Nyeri. [Mose Sammy]