- Tournament expected to enhance tennis standards and boosting sports tourism in Botswana
- 15 nations – among them Madagascar, Tanzania, Ethiopia and the Seychelles – are in the tourney
- Botswana last hosted the Davis Cup Africa Group V in 2006
GAZETTE REPORTER
Hosting the 2024 Davis Cup Africa Group V aligns with the Botswana Tennis Association’s (BTA) commitment to international standards, the president of Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC), Botsang Tshenyego, has said.
Tshenyego noted that the tournament – which began on 17 July and will end on 20 July 20 – is expected to enhance tennis standards in Botswana and across the African continent while promoting professionalisation of the sport and contributing to economic diversification through sport tourism.
Speaking at the official opening of the tournament in Gaborone on Wednesday, Tshenyego praised BTA’s 40-year partnership with national sports governing bodies such as BNOC and the Botswana National Sports Commission (BNSC), as well the private sector.
Vision 2036
He emphasised the support from the Confederation of African Tennis (CAT) and the International Tennis Federation (ITF), stating that these efforts align with Vision 2036 that recognises sports as a key enabler of socio-economic development.
“Hosting this event has capacitated competitive athletes, efficient administrators, and garnered significant support from corporations,” said Tshenyego.
“This is a male competition, while the female event is known as The Billie Jean King Cup. May I remind everyone that Botswana competed this year in Group III in Kenya, finishing 5th out of 12 countries.”
Cognitive development
He emphasised that sports plays a crucial role in sustainable development, noting its benefits for individual development and societal advancement.
“Sports is not just physical activity; it promotes health and helps prevent, or even cure, diseases of modern civilization,” he said.
“It is also an educational tool that fosters cognitive development, teaches social behaviour, and helps integrate communities”.
Tshenyego highlighted the goals of Olympism, saying they are about placing sports at the service of harmonious development of humanity, promoting a peaceful society and preserving human dignity.
Values of Olympism
“The three values of Olympism are excellence, respect, and friendship,” he pointed out. “They constitute the foundation on which the Olympic Movement builds its activities to promote sports, culture and education with a view to building a better world.”
Tshenyego stressed that sports has the potential to be a catalyst for creating sustainable, healthy urban and non-urban environments and economies.
He noted that sports organisations and events, regardless of their size, can significantly reduce emissions, both directly and through their supply chains.
The history
“The sports industry has a unique responsibility to act as an educator and advocate for sustainable action through its influence on supporters and participants,” he said.
Reflecting on the history of the Davis Cup, Tshenyego recounted its origins as The International Lawn Tennis Challenge, conceived by Dwight Filley Davis in 1900 as a challenge match between the USA and Great Britain.
Today, 155 countries compete in the World Cup of Tennis, making it the world’s largest annual international team competition in sports managed by the ITF.
“In Africa, tennis was played as early as 1875 by South African athlete Sir Garnet Wolseley, leading to the formation of the Confederation of African Tennis (CAT) in 1973,” said Tshenyego.
Regional groups
“South Africa became the fifth nation to lift the Davis Cup trophy in 1974. The Davis Cup in Africa is divided into regional groups: Group III, IV, and V.”
The 2024 Davis Cup Africa Group V event, hosted in Botswana, features 15 nations: Botswana, Congo, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Gabon, Lesotho, Libya, Mauritania, Madagascar, Mozambique, Mauritius, Uganda, Tanzania, Sudan, and the Seychelles.
The format includes one pool of three teams (Pool A) and three pools of four teams, with promotion play-offs between A1 vs. D1 and B1 vs. C1, resulting in two promotions.
The tournament media liaison officer, Solomon Kakuwa, noted in an interview that it is significant for Botswana to host the tournament again, having last hosted it in 2006.