Where are the girls?
BTA losing female players at tournaments
Following the Botswana Tennis Association ( BTA) Junior Spring Tournament hosted this past weekend, the association has noticed a low participation of girls in the tournament.
Speaking in an interview this week, the Association President, Oaitse Thipe decried the limited number of girls participating in the tournament, and revealed that Covid- 19 hampered their progress. “We didn’t have a target for participation, because COVID- 19 is still there. We were satisfied with participation because there is still a cap on how many players can be at an event, but the girls’ number was a concern.”
He further said there is still a lot to be done. “They need more tournaments locally and we are planning for such tournaments in Phikwe and Serowe in the coming months,” he said. Nevertheless, he admitted that improvements for all categories can be measured accurately through international tournaments. “There is a number of international tournaments for under 14 and 12 in Bulawayo, as well as plans for the Francistown Junior open; we want more girls at the next tournament.”
Thipe said they are going through some process of recruiting more girls into the sport as female participation is very important in the sport and they don’t want to lag behind in equal participation. Moreover, Thipe said this is a problem they have been facing as even before Covid- 19, the participation of young girls was very low. “We have always had a challenge with girls when they reach teenage years, but under 10 girls’ numbers are good.” In the singles Under 18, Denzel Seetso emerged victorious while Uyapo Ndwapi won the boys Under 14 category. The under 12 category was won by Martin Seetso while Bashali Patshwane won the Under 14 category in the girls division.