Kenya has been granted the privilege of hosting the prestigious Road to BAL Elite 16 tournament, which is scheduled to be held from November 28th to December 3rd, 2024.
Paul Otula, the chairman, alongside Angela Luchivyia and Joseph Amoko, made the announcement during a press briefing on Wednesday.
They confirmed that the Elite 16 round matches will be played at the Kasarani Indoor gymnasium.
Kenya will be represented by Nairobi City Thunder, who have advanced to the Elite 16, and they will be aiming to become the first Kenyan side to qualify for the BAL, which will take place in Rabat, Morocco, and Tripoli, Libya.
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Other teams that have advanced to the final stage of the East Division for qualification include City Oilers from Uganda, NBA Academy from Senegal, Urunani BBC from Burundi, South Africa’s M.B.B, Zambia’s Bravehearts Basketball, Matero Magic from Malawi, and Fox Basketball Club from South Sudan.
These eight teams are expected to compete in a round-robin format, with only two teams qualifying for the major tournament.
The Kenya Basketball Federation’s Secretary General, Angela Luchivyia, stated that the matches scheduled for November 28th to 30th will be postponed, and the league will be paused to allow other Kenyan teams to come and support Nairobi City Thunder.
“In order to ensure other teams can attend the event and support Nairobi City Thunder, we will be postponing the games scheduled for the 28th, 29th, and 30th.
The league will be paused so that all teams can rally behind Nairobi City Thunder,” said Secretary General Angela Luchivyia.
“This event will bring positive economic impact to businesses that support sporting activities and basketball. Therefore, this opportunity will help showcase Kenya’s ability to host future international basketball events,” she added.
On his part, Chairman Paul Otula assured that the federation has been told that both arenas will be ready for use before the tournament begins.
He added that some teams will start to arrive in the country as early as November 26th.
“We have been assured that both arenas will be ready for use before the tournament begins,” said Otula.
“The teams will start arriving by November 26th, and some may arrive earlier for acclimation purposes.”
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