Africa-Press – Angola. Chess in Cunene province is at risk of disappearing due to lack of incentives, said this Sunday, in Ondjiva (Cunene), the president of the local association of the sport, Apolinário António.
He said that the incentives are not being felt, as this sport still exists due to its own persistence, raising the game at provincial, national and international level.
He highlighted as being lacking, own facilities, transportation for athletes to participate in national competitions, among other difficulties such as financial ones.
He informed that in July there is a competition for youths from Under-8 to Under-16, in Cuanza Sul, the Absolute National Championship in August and the African Championship in September, in which the province runs the risk of not being present.
The official recalled that Cunene held the title of national champion in junior women’s.
He indicated that in terms of youth chess, Cunene is a power, equaling only Luanda, hence the need for greater appreciation of the work done internally.
Apolinário António indicated the existence of a need plan submitted to the Provincial Office for Culture, Tourism, Youth and Sports, in order to find a way out for the continued development of the sport in the region.
The head of the Youth and Sports department in Cunene, Raimundo Kunanga, referred that the body is aware of the situation regarding support for chess in the province, within financial possibilities.
He added that the national competitions start from the 16th of July and that both sides should work in advance in terms of creating conditions such as transporting the team to the competition venue.
The Provincial Association of Cunene controls 70 affiliated chess players, with emphasis on Renelsa António, who won the National Junior Women’s Championship, played in September 2022, in Namibe.
The athlete was national champion in Under-12 (2017), Under-14 (2018 and 2019), national champion in Under-16 and ranked third in the African Youth Championship (2020).
In her sports curriculum, there is also the title of runner-up national champion (2021), participation in the World Championship, in Greece (2018) and Olympics in India (2022), where she played six games, obtaining two wins, two draws and two losses.
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