Govt. urged to build new basketball courts

A renowned Basket-player in Lusaka Simukwela Lubinda has appealed to government to consider rehabilitating the basketball courts throughout the country.

Lubinda says as much as government and key stakeholders had put in place a deliberate programme of building and rehabilitating football stadiums in the country, equal attention should be extended to building and rehabilitating  basketball courts.

He said there is a lot of talented and promising Basketballers in the country especially the young people but were discouraged by bad basketball courts.

“ There is a lot of young talented basketballers in Zambia but these upcoming basketball players are shunning the sport because of the courts (grounds) that are in bad shape, “    said the lanky basketballer . 

ZANIS sports reports that Lubinda said this in an exclusive interview, in Lusaka today.

Lubinda, who plays for the university of Zambia basketball team Vice Captain, said from the recent Zone six basketball tournament Zambia played better basketball than most countries in the sub region.

 

“Zambia is a better in basketball than most of neighbours because during the just ended Zone 6 tournament held in South Africa in December last year we came second.

 

“ We’ve alot of young talented people in the country but our infrastructures is dilapidated and needs urgent repairs to attract the players to love the sport,” he said.

 

Lubinda said this is a great indicator to government and the corporate world to consider supporting basketball by building and developing basketball courts in the country.  

He however commended the Zambia Basketball Association  ( ZBA ) for doing everything possible to develop the sport in the country.

 

He said he was especially moved by ZBA’s move to develop the sport in schools.

 

He said this vision can only be achieved if government and other stakeholders supported the construction of basketball courts.

 

Zambia had its best year in 1989 at the Federation of International Basketball for Africa Championship when she finished as Africa’s top 10.