Afiemo
The stage is set in Monrovia-Liberia, as the FIBA Africa Zone 3 U16 Afrobasket Qualifiers officially tip off today at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Indoor Sports Hall.
The tournament features both male and female U16 national teams from Côte d'Ivoire, Benin and host nation Liberia all vying for a coveted spot at the FIBA U16 Afrobasket Championship scheduled for September in Kigali, Rwanda.
Zone 3 President, Col. Sam Ahmedu (Rtd.), who arrived fresh from overseeing the successful U17 Academies Championship in Lagos, expressed optimism about the competitive fire already evident among the participating teams. “From the excitement and readiness shown on arrival, this promises to be a fiercely contested qualifier,” he said.
Liberia Basketball Association Secretary General Calvin Diggs, also confirmed the host nation’s preparedness, emphasizing that logistics, facilities and protocol have been put in place for a smooth tournament. Pre-tournament procedures, including MRI age verification and the technical meeting are being conducted today.
Unfortunately, Togo’s teams could not make the trip due to civil unrest, while Burkina Faso withdrew last minute citing financial constraints. The absence of Nigeria, Ghana and Niger remains unexplained with no official statements released by their federations.
Interestingly, Nigeria are defending champions of this event so it was quite suprising that the defending champions pulled out of this event with no prior information whatsoever.
With qualification stakes high and the Kigali finals looming, the three participating nations are poised to deliver top-tier basketball action as Zone 3 continues its commitment to youth basketball development across West Africa.
