Botswana beat rival bids from the DRC and Angola to host Africa’s 2027 youth table tennis championships, three years after staging the tournament in Gaborone.
BONGANI MALUNGA
Botswana has beaten the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Angola to secure hosting rights for the 2027 ITTF-Africa Youth Championships, bringing emerging continental talent to the country.
Scheduled for July 2027, the tournament returns to Botswana three years after Gaborone first hosted it in 2024.
The decision was made at the ITTF-Africa Annual General Meeting in Tangier, Morocco, on 21 October, when the continental body awarded events for 2027 and 2028. Botswana Table Tennis Association (BTTA) president Kudzanani Motswagole attended both as association leader and an ITTF-Africa Council member.
Hosting History
Botswana is among at least three Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries to have hosted the continental youth tournament, alongside South Africa and Mauritius. This includes editions staged under its earlier name, the African Junior and Cadet Championships.
South Africa’s record stretches back to Johannesburg in 2002, an edition noted in the Swaythling Club’s profile of player Luke Abrahams. Cape Town hosted the African Junior and Cadet Championships in 2011.
Mauritius hosted the event in 2015 at the Beau Bassin Sports Complex. Botswana followed in July 2024, staging under-15 and under-19 singles, doubles and team events in Gaborone.
Although Mauritius belongs to SADC, ITTF-Africa places it in its Eastern region. Botswana and South Africa are verified previous hosts within the federation’s Southern grouping; the wider SADC count also includes Mauritius.
Development Test
The tournament’s return offers BTTA a chance to turn hosting rights into stronger youth player development, giving young Batswana the opportunity to face continental opposition at home.
Addressing the Morocco meeting, ITTF-Africa president Wahid Oshodi urged successful host associations to begin preparing early to ensure their events are delivered successfully.