Africa-Press – Angola. The conquest of the 17th title of the National Basketball Championship by Petro de Luanda and the distinction of Angolan Jerson Emiliano dos Santos, as the best referee in Southern Africa, in the first edition of the COSAFA Awards’2023, are among the highlights of the sports week in the country.
In the “ball to the basket”, the “oil” team achieved the feat, by beating Interclube, 81-67, in the fourth game of the “play off” of the final, the best of five, played at the Cidadela pavilion, in Luanda , totaling the result of (3-1) three to one.
Before, at the Kilamba pavilion, the first match of this final phase, Petro won, by 92-80, lost in the second, by 97-92, and triumphed again, by 80-63.
As for football, in a ceremony held at the Sandton Convention Center, in Johannesburg (South Africa), Emiliano beat the competition Arsénio Marengule (Mozambique) and Abongile Tom (South Africa).
This is the inaugural edition of the COSAFA Awards, an award that aims to distinguish the outstanding players, coaches and referees each year from the southern part of the continent.
In the country’s main competition, Sagrada Esperança da Lunda Norte beat Kabuscorp do Palanca, in Luanda, 3-2, in the 26th round and leads the National Championship (Girabola2023-24), with 53 points..
Champion Petro de Luanda is in second place, also with 53 points, having missed this round due to the calendar.
In relation to the lower level, Clube Luanda City qualified, in Saurimo, for the first division (Girabola2024/25), by beating, on penalties, Sporting do Bié, by 7-6, occupying third place in the ” leguilha”, played at the Estádio das Mangueiras.
In the 2nd division final, the Escolinha Isaac de Benguela team beat Carmona SC Uíge, 4-2, on penalties, becoming champions. In the same week, the Angolan Football Federation (FAF) organized, at the Sports Gallery, in Luanda, a seminar on the CAF Online Club Licensing Platform, to be implemented from the “2024-25” season.
Institutional activity was also part of the seven days, with the Minister of Youth and Sports, Rui Falcão, stating, in Luanda, that the presence of the best players is necessary for Angola to win the African Basketball Championship “Afrobasket’2025”.
Speaking to the press, at the end of the audience given to player Bruno Fernando, from the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks, he said that whoever organizes it aims to win, but that the presence of the best players is necessary for this to happen.
Bruno Fernando once again showed himself available for the National Team, adding that it was a “dream” to play the continental competition at home and consequently win it.
Angola will host the competition for the fourth time, after the 1989, 1999 and 2007 editions, the latter in an unprecedented way, in four cities.
In handball, the teams from 1o de Agosto and Petro de Luanda qualified, in Benguela, for the final of the 24th edition of the Angolan Senior Women’s Cup.
To reach the final of this competition, the “militaries” beat Casa Pessoal do Porto do Lobito, in the two semi-final games, by 31-13 and 29-18, respectively. The “oil companies” defeated 1o de Agosto B, by 29-20 and 24-17, in both challenges.
In bodybuilding, athlete Nilton José won, in the country’s capital, the first edition of the “Luanda Mudclecontest”, in the Men’s Bodybuilding Overall class, held at the Belas Conference Center, in Futungo. Nilton is also champion in the Men’s Bodybuilding category Novice.
The unprecedented event in Angola was organized by an independent body from the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB).
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