NAIROBI, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- Continental basketball governing body FIBA Africa has granted Nairobi the hosting rights for the 2020 Zone Five Afrobasket qualifiers in January.
However, the competition will be without Egypt, who has been given a wild card to the next round. It means Kenya will battle it out with South Sudan, Somalia, Uganda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Tanzania.
Kenya Basketball Federation chairman Paul Otula said the decision by FIBA Africa was a clear endorsement of the successful development strategies the country has put in place, reaching the final of this year's FIBA AfroCan tournament.
"We were offered the chance to stage the competition because the men's team did wonders at the AfroCan tournament in Mali, losing in the finals to Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Now is our chance to show Africa that the sport is rising in popularity in Kenya and we are ready to stake our claim," said Otula on Monday in Nairobi.
Kenya will retain the same team that made it to the AfroCan finals in Mali. Head coach Cliff Owuor will call in the team for training next week.
Among the top players include Victor Odendo, Victor Bosire, Joseph Khaemba and Fidel Okoth, who have all been added to the team to offer the required cover for the task ahead.
