Maurice Kambukwe
Namibia Golf Federation (NGF) secretary general Brenda Lens has expressed disappointment after Namibia was denied an opportunity to host this year’s edition of the popular All Africa Challenge Trophy.
The popular continental golf tournament, which was initially scheduled for the Rossmund Golf Course at the coastal town of Swakopmund between 31 March and 4 April, had to be called off last minute due to the ongoing widespread Covid-19 pandemic.
The competition, which is a biennial continental ladies golf championship inaugurated in 1992, was expected to attract about 21 countries from across Africa including Mauritius.
Namibia last hosted the 2014 edition of the ever-growing ladies event at the Windhoek Golf and Country Club and was again due to stage this year’s instalment, but the coronavirus pandemic disrupted the schedule.
Speaking to New Era Sport, a disappointed Lens said not only did Namibia miss out on a great opportunity to host the tournament but sponsors who were initially on board have now also indicated that they can no longer sponsor the tournament as they too have been hit hard by the pandemic, which has crippled businesses countrywide.
“The Namibia Ladies Golf Union, in consultation with NGF, had a meeting last week and a decision was taken to cancel the tournament entirely, as there is no clear indication as to when all borders will reopen and air travel can flow uninterrupted. Our sponsors have also given indications that they might not be able to sponsor the tournament later this year due to financial constraints,” said Lens, who added it is a big blow because they might not get the chance to stage this tournament again in the near future, as it is biennial.
The All Africa Challenge Trophy is divided into four sections; North, East, South and West. It is hosted on a rotational basis within the four zones as follows: South (2020), East (2022), North (2024) and West (2026), meaning it will only return to the Southern part of Africa in 2028. The last tournament was held in Ghana in 2018, with South Africa taking the trophy home.
– mkambukwe@nepc.com.na