The newly built Kigali Arena in Rwanda has been officially opened after months of construction and just in time for the start of this year’s FIBA Africa Under 16 Girls Championship.
The biannual competition runs from July 28 to July 3 with eight nations competing; all games are to be honoured at the grand edifice.
Aside host nation Rwanda, African powerhouse Mali, Egypt, Tanzania, Uganda, Mozambique, Angola and South Africa have qualified to the tournament.
Rwanda’s shiny facility has a 10,000 seating capacity and could be used to host multi sport disciplines including handball and volleyball.
The tournament is the first of many set to be held in the Kigali Arena in the upcoming years as a host of competitions including the 2021 African Basketball Championship (AfroBasket).
Mali has won the title on five occasions and is aiming for a sixth record title while the likes of Rwanda are targeting its first title.
The finalists will qualify to the FIBA Under 17 World Cup set to be held in India in 2020.
By Yaw Adjei-Mintah
@YawMintYM on Twitter
