Six national wheelchair basketball teams both men's and women's from Mainland Tanzania, Zanzibar, and Zambia are set to compete in an international friendly match scheduled for May 28 in Dar es Salaam.
The event is being organized by the Tanzania Wheelchair Basketball Association (TWBA), which extended invitations to teams from Zanzibar and Zambia.
Speaking to The Respondent Online, TWBA Secretary General Abdallah Mpogole said the main goal of the friendly is to evaluate the players’ readiness for upcoming international competitions and to foster cooperation between the participating nations through sport.
“This is a great opportunity for us to assess our level of preparedness as we gear up for the Zone V international championships. Our neighboring teams are part of the Southern Zone, and we plan to reciprocate by visiting their countries for future matches,” Mpogole explained.
He emphasized that preparations are ongoing to ensure the venues and accommodation facilities are fully equipped to host the event.
The match will also serve as a platform for newly trained coaches and referees to put their skills to the test and gain experience by working alongside regional counterparts.
Mpogole noted that the national team continues with its training, and efforts have been made to strengthen the squad by recruiting players from different regions, who are currently training with their local clubs. However, a centralized training camp has yet to begin due to financial limitations.
“At the moment, players are traveling back and forth for training. We haven’t started a full training camp because of budget constraints. The team continues to prepare individually at the club level, but a proper camp will depend on the availability of funds,” he said.
Mpogole called on sports stakeholders and sponsors to support the initiative by contributing resources that would enable the team to conduct a full training camp and be well-prepared for international competition.
Meanwhile, Ali Abdalla Khatib, a representative from Zanzibar, expressed optimism about their team’s performance, saying preparations are progressing well and that they aim to put up a strong challenge.
“Our goal is to compete at a high level and hopefully emerge victorious in this international match,” Khatib said.