BTA mulls inter’l despite Covid- 19 scare
TENNIS
Despite the sudden surge in covid- 19 cases in recent times locally, B o t s w an a Te n n i s Association ( BTA) has decided to go ahead with hosting international tournaments in the first quarter of this year.
I n i t i a l l y , t h e tou rnaments we re scheduled for last year but were put off due to Covid- 19 and lack of travels. The two events are International Tennis Federation( ITF) Under 18, Grade 5 and two Grade 4 junior tournaments and dates have already been set for the 22nd - 27th of February and 1st - 6th of March in Gaborone. “We had applied to Botswana Nat ional Sports Commission ( BNSC) last year to host the tournament and they gave us a go ahead but we are monitoring the situation with the ITF. If the situation worsens by the end of the month we wi l l cancel the tournament,” said BTA president, Oaitse Thipe.
However, despite BTA going ahead with preparations for the two tournaments, of late cases of Covid- 19 have been on the rise in the country s ome t h i n g wh i ch threatens the hosting of the competitions. Since the two events are ITF accredited tournaments expectat ion is that international athletes from Africa and as far as Europe are going to grace the events as per the norm.
Wi t h t h e n e w infectious Covid- 19 virus variant reported to be here there is high scare that the government will soon close borders.
Wi th the second wave of Covi d - 1 9 expected to be much severe, a possibility of a lockdown has been very high. This might put the tournaments off completely. According to Thipe, they already have measures in place for the safety of players. “All players will have to abide by health protocols of testing before coming into the country. We have identified a number of hotels that will be used as a bubble to contain the players and restrict their movement,” he said.
With the second wave of Covid- 19 already ravaging through the world, high profile events such as Australian Open are already affected having been pushed back to February dates, with strict measures put in place.
On the source of sponsorship in light of the Covid- 19 dry season, Thipe said the tournaments generate their own funds therefore they are able to cover all costs from that.
“These are selfsufficient tournaments so normally entry fees help run the competitions. On the other hand, we are shouldering all the costs of hosting the tournaments and players pay for their transport, meals and accommodation during their stay here.”