The Burundian national men’s under-16 team has secured its ticket to the Afro Basketball U16 Championship to be held in Egypt. The young Burundian basketball players secured this qualification after dominating the teams of Kenya and Tanzania in the Zone V qualifiers. Coach Aimé Bitagoye assures fans of the yellow ball that the rules of this competition are favorable to the Burundian selection.
The under-16 men’s team has secured its ticket to the U16 Afro Basketball Championship which will be held in Egypt.
The Burundian men’s team validated its ticket by beating Kenya by a score of 70 to 66 and Tanzania by a score of 65 to 53 during the qualifiers which took place in the United Republic of Tanzania from July 12 to 14, 2024. This performance was hailed by basketball fans and sports enthusiasts, in particular by the Head of State Evariste Ndayishimiye, who congratulated the Burundian team for its bravery against rival teams.
On the other hand, the Burundi women’s basketball team failed to qualify for the Afro Basketball U16, suffering defeats against Kenya and Tanzania in the same qualifiers.
A qualification in the aftermath of the crisis that affected Burundian basketball
This qualification comes in a context marked by the recent challenges faced by Burundian basketball, recalling in particular the experience of Dynamo BBC which had to face sanctions during its participation in the Basketball Africa League (BAL) due to a controversy over jerseys bearing the logo of the official sponsor. The current conditions for the young talents of Ntare who will participate in this new international competition raise questions among fans, particularly concerning the rules and conditions that will govern the tournament.
During a recent public broadcast in Makamba, these concerns were raised by journalists. The Ministry in charge of Youth and Sports indicated that negotiations were underway for the organizers to communicate the rules of the competition in advance, thus ensuring better preparation of the participating teams.
« Relevant bodies are continuing negotiations to request that the rules and conditions be announced well before the start of the competitions so that the teams concerned are aware of the standards that will regulate the competition. “, replied Ambassador Rémy Barampama, the spokesperson for the ministry responsible for youth and sport.
Ambassador Barampama stressed that this will make it possible to know the writings that will appear on the players’ jerseys. So the reaction of Febabu and the team concerned will be based on realistic facts based on what they see. “, did he declare
The coach reassures fans of the yellow ball
As for the regulations concerning jerseys and the Afro Basketball U16 competition, Aimé Bitagoye, the coach of the national men’s under-16 team, reassured fans of the yellow ball. He stressed that unlike the BAL, this competition does not impose the logo of the official sponsor on the jerseys, which will simply bear the name of the players’ country of origin.
Mr. Bitagoye also indicates that the Burundian selection will begin team training sessions which will take place twice a week while waiting for the publication of the official calendar by FIBA, after which the intensity of the sessions will be increased accordingly.
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