Preparations to host the 2021 African Basketball Championships (Afrobasket) finals have gained momentum as Rwanda gears up to host the tournament for a historic first time in August. Officials say that preparations are, as of June 17, at 70 percent, with an aim to wrap up the rest by the end of next month. Out of the 16 national teams expected to lock horns in Kigali, 14 teams have already secured their tickets while two spots remain up for grabs between Morocco, Cape Verde and Uganda who make Group E of the competition’s qualifiers. At the finals tournament, scheduled for August 4 to September 5, hosts Rwanda have been placed in Group A alongside the Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, and one more team that will advance from Group E qualifiers. The teams were drawn into four groups of four as per the African seeding, which were assigned based on the FIBA World Ranking. Weekend Sport’s Damas Sikubwabo sat down with Landry Jabo, the Afrobasket Coordinator and Executive Director of the Rwanda Basketball Federation, to talk about preparations and expectations from the highly anticipated tournament. Excerpts: Rwanda is hosting the 2021 Afrobasket finals in August (only two months away), how are the preparations going? We have been preparing since the qualifiers began last year, and a lot of progress has been made. I can say that we are now 70% ready, and everything should be in place by end of July. What are the preparations that have been finalised so far? On our side as the host nation, we are ready in almost all aspects. The remaining confirmations are those related to the participating teams, and the World Basketball Federation (Fiba). What are the requirements for a country hosting this championship? A lot is required for a country to win the hosting rights of the Afrobasket such as the standard of the arena, accommodation facilities for the teams and their delegations, medical facilities (particularly for Covid-19 tests) and many other criteria, which are all evaluated to qualify as a host. What is the maximum number of members for every team in the tournament? In line with Fiba regulations, we are expecting a delegation of 21 people per team but there is flexibility to exceed the number if teams communicate to the regulator beforehand. What will be the Covid-19 protocols regulating the championship? If nothing changes about the current pandemic situation, the players, technical staff and all other guests in contact with the players will be placed in a bubble environment for safety reasons. In addition, all the delegations will be asked to jet in at least two days earlier so as to adhere to all Covid-19 protocols, including the mandatory PCR tests. Concerning accommodations, negotiations are still ongoing with different hotels but it will be completed by end of this month. More protocols will be provided by the Fiba medical teams, and we hope to have fans inside the Kigali Arena for the games, obviously under tight safety guidelines that will be determined by health authorities. What are some of the lessons learned from BAL that you plan to apply in the Afrobasket? The Basketball Africa League (BAL) was so well prepared and we picked up a lot of valuable lessons such as the measures to keep the teams and fans safe, branding and the business side of the competition. So those who won’t make it inside the Kigali Arena, how will the general public follow the championship? The national broadcaster, Rwanda Broadcasting Agency, will show the games live, and more streaming avenues will be communicated with time.
