Tunisia (TUN)
26/01/2015
Julio Chitunda's African Message
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Road to Tunisia 2015 underway

SHEFFIELD (Julio Chitunda's African Message) - Angola, Tunisia, Egypt and Uganda all have different basketball past, but have something in common.

They became, in different circumstances, the first four African nations qualified for AfroBasket 2015, FIBA Africa's elite competition.

The 16-team tournament will take place from 20 to 30 August in the Tunisian cities of Nabeul and Hammamet.

In a little over seven months' time, the world will find out the new African champions who will have punched their ticket for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

Hosts Tunisia have made Rio their favourite destination for next year, but there will be fierce competition coming from all over the continent. 

Angola secured their 10th consecutive AfroBasket appearance in two decades as the winners of the tournament two years ago.

Tunisia will play in front of their home fans for the first time since 1987.

Egypt clinched the top spot in FIBA Africa Zone 5 qualifier last September ahead of hosts Uganda, who will compete against Africa's top national teams for the first time in three decades.

So far, Tunisian Basketball Federation (FTBB) chairman Ali Benzarti and newly-appointed Local Organising Committee (LOC) leader Hassen Zargouni have shown a very high level of professionalism and dedication, a positive sign for the tournament's quality on and off the court.

They seem to have learnt from organisational mistakes made in the past. 

Some might ask, what is new about since Tunisia were confirmed as the event's hosts a year ago?

The response to that, is the way that the FTBB and LOC are making the most of their time frame in preparing for the tournament.

We are seven months away from AfroBasket 2015 and, unlike previous experiences on the continent, both the FTBB and LOC boast an impressive list of sponsors which include telecommunications providers Ooredoo, sportswear giant Nike, national airline carrier Tunis Airways and leading car dealership Ennakl.

If all goes as planned, Tunisia will be the place for AfroBasket fans to go to in August.

And this is exactly what a number of national teams are keeping busy with these days.

An official document released by FIBA Africa shows that, in the next couple of months, 25 national teams will be competing in qualifiers to secure the final 11 places for Tunisia 2015.

With the exception of the elimination draw between Nigeria and Burkina Faso - who are yet to decide their schedule - the remaining 23 national teams are currently preparing to get ready for the final test for Tunisia 2015.

Although the months of February and March will be a nerve-racking period for those teams aiming to qualify for the African Championship, a number of African professional players based in Europe will not take part in those games because of specifications in their contracts with their clubs.

Some of those pro players will be expected to join their national teams in the summer and therefore follow the qualifiers closely.

Until then, the fact is, the road to Tunisia 2015 is officially underway.

Julio Chitunda

FIBA

FIBA's columnists write on a wide range of topics relating to basketball that are of interest to them. The opinions they express are their own and in no way reflect those of FIBA.

FIBA takes no responsibility and gives no guarantees, warranties or representations, implied or otherwise, for the content or accuracy of the content and opinion expressed in the above article.

Julio Chitunda

Julio Chitunda

Julio Chitunda, a University of Sheffield alumni and former semi-professional player, has worked for a number of Portuguese media outlets as well as The Press Association and covered international basketball for over a decade. Through his column, he offers an insight into basketball on the world's second biggest continent.