Your weekly dose of FIBA Africa Zone 7 News: The Mauritius Basketball Federation is set to have a new managing committee in the weeks ahead. In Madagascar, veterans from Analamanga have scooped the men & women's trophies, and international referee Yann Vezo Davidson will be umpiring at the FIBA Intercontinental Cup in Singapore.
Last Updated on
August 26, 2024
Jonathan Oriant
Staff Writer
Olympic de Moroni and Ushindzi Club de Ouani triumphed in the Federation Cup, winning the women's and men's competitions respectively. In a remarkable match, the Olympic de Moroni women's team dominated their opponents, AS Faigaffe de Ouani, winning by the impressive score of 90 to 43.
In the men's competition, Ushindzi Club de Ouani also showed determination and talent to win the title. Facing Djabal Basket Iconi, runners-up in 2023, in a tight, thrilling match, Ushindzi players came out on top with a score of 67-61.
According to the latest FIBA rankings, Madagascar is second in Africa with 447,015 points. Algeria tops the list in Africa with 539,205 points, while Benin is third with 445,704 points. This ranking is based on the Ankoay's participation in several international tournaments and was updated after the Paris Olympic Games. On the women's side, Madagascar ranks eighth in Africa with 65,691 points. Uganda, Benin and Algeria dominate the women's ranking. The Africa Cup at the end of the year is the next big event for the two Malagasy teams.
The national veterans' basketball championships came to a close at Stade Barea. After a week of competition, clubs based in the Analamanga region dominated the court, winning both the men's and women's events. In the women's category, MMBC were crowned champions, beating ASVD Fitefa de Sava 38-31 to take 2,500,000 ariarys and the trophy. PMBC Analamanga took third place, beating AS Eclipse Haute Matsiatra 62-32. In the men's category, BC Blindé beat BCR 49-47 in a tight match. ASSM finished third, beating L2BV Analamanga 72-62. A total of 64 teams took part in the competition.
Malagasy referee Yann Vezo Davidson continues to go from strength to strength. After officiating at the 2024 Paris Olympics, then at the Pre-Qualifier Tournament for the 2026 Women's World Cup in Rwanda, he is now called upon to manage matches at the FIBA Intercontinental Cup in Singapore, which tips-off on September 12. In Kigali, he oversaw the match between Senegal and Hungary, won by the Teranga Lionesses (63-61),alongside Australian Nicolas Fernandes and Korean Kim Bohui.
Things are finally moving in the right direction for Mauritian basketball. The General Assembly, which will bring together representatives of all the country's clubs, will be held on October 5 at the Federation's headquarters in Phoenix. The Assembly will elect the new board, which will be in place for the next four years.
The Mauritius Basketball Federation was dissolved after its president, Hedley Han resigned from his position, while retaining his seat as a member. With the number of members having fallen below the seven required by law, the committee collapsed and saw the appointment of a three-person interim committee.
Although Mauritius will not be represented by a team at the U18 AfroBasket, there will be a Mauritian in South Africa. FIBA International referee Olivier Denis has been selected by FIBA Africa as one of the neutral referees.
This will be his second appearance at an U18 AfroBasket, as he was one of the referees selected for the 2022 showdown in Madagascar. A holder of an international referee's license since 2019, he has also been called upon to officiate at three different editions of the Road to BAL.
Four young basketball players, two boys and two girls, have been selected by the interim committee of the Mauritius Basketball Federation (MBBF) to represent Mauritius at the FIBA Africa Youth Camp to be held in Cameroon from October 14 to 17 for the boys and from October 21 to 24 in Côte d'Ivoire for the girls.
The two boys will be accompanied by two coaches, Jérôme Tonta and Axel Clair, while the girls will travel with Caroline Adeline and Corinne Saumoroo. These camps are organized by FIBA Africa to help develop young basketball players on the continent, in line with its policy of creating a viable environment for the development of young boys and girls. It also includes the training of coaches and the detection of participants for future FIBA camps around the world.
[Photography and Imagery Courtesy of FIBA, Comoros Basketball Federation, Malagasy Basketball Federation, Mauritius Olympic Committee]
