From 12 to 22nd March 2014, during the 37th African Junior Tennis Championship, held at Nairobi in Kenya; Burundi has been classified 5th in the competition.-Lorraine Josiane Manishatse
Sada Nahimana on the playground during the competition at Nairobi.©Iwacu
The African Junior Tennis Championship has grown from strength to strength since its introduction in 1978. From 12 to22th March 2014, a 37th African Junior Championship was organized at Nairobi in Kenya. 25 African countries were present. Burundi was represented by 7 players: 4 boys and 3girls. On one hand, two boys were aged 14 and under while two others were aged 16 and under. On the other hand, one girl played in the category of those aged 16 and under, while two others played in the group of those aged 14 and under. It is worth mentioning that, Sada Nahimana has won the competition for those aged 14 and under. The two other girls have been eliminated in the quarter-final. In general, Burundi has occupied the 5th place in that competition, after Egypt, Morocco, South Africa and Tunisia. According to Hassan Murisho, the Coach of the Burundi Tennis National Team, they are proud of the step reached by their team. “The victory of Sada is the first in Burundian history. Moreover, being classified before Cameroon, Algeria, Gabon, and Zimbabwe….which are known as strong teams is encouraging for our federation,” he happily says. He indicates that Burundi still occupies the first place in EAC. “7 years ago, we occupied the first place in EAC, we hope that considering the step we have already achieved, we will keep the same place,” he states.
For him, the Burundi Tennis National Team is improving thanks to the good collaboration of the Burundi Tennis Federation and the Government.
“Thanks to the International Tennis Federation Center created in Burundi since 2011, our players benefit more from a good training. When preparing tennis tournaments, all players are gathered in that regional center for intensive training,” he highlights.
Training equipment is not enough at all
Murisho points out that in spite of the step reached by Burundi Tennis National Team; there is still a problem of enough and modern training equipment.
He asks Burundi Government to support tennis players in offering them enough and modern sport tools. He also requests companies working in Burundi to sponsor local competitions. “Our players need more competitions to develop their skills,” he concludes.
IWACU Open Data
