Africa-Press – Uganda. Alast minute change that saw most teams withdraw from the Africa Kabaddi World Cup qualifiers in Nairobi, meant that only hosts Kenya and Uganda would qualify for next year’s event.A 30-man contingent travelled from Uganda by road with hopes of playing in their first World Cup, but the Kenyan authorities, who still maintain a tough stance on reopening sports activities, announced that the event was cancelled.
Nevertheless, the international body, IKF, confirmed that the two teams that were already in Nairobi would qualify automatically to the World Cup. With India having an upsurge of coronavirus disease cases, Iran is the likely replacement for the tournament expected to take place early next year.“Preparations for a major event such as the World Cup require a lot of logistics. We’ll communicate the details later but Uganda and Kenya can go ahead and prepare for the World Cup,” a letter from the body explained.
Ill-prepared
But the exhibition games that were held at Kenya Academy of Sports in Kasarani saw the Uganda play second fiddle to Kenya. The Ugandan women lost 40-32 while the Kenyan men won 42-35.Though the losses were difficult to swallow, head coach Ephraim Makubuya believes his players showed resilience and learned a few key lessons.“My players knew that they had their backs against the wall but they worked extremely hard against the Kenyans,” Makubuya said.
Kenya, the top ranked nation on the continent, fielded players with experience at the Pro-Kabaddi League such as Victor Obiero, Samuel Wafula, Patrick Mvau and David Mosambayi. There were standout performances from the team with all-rounder Douglas Mulaalira excelling in raiding as he scored 15 points of the 35 in the final. Fellow all-rounder Shafiq Katamba scored seven tackle points with excellent defending skills, while skipper Joel Machari scored six raid out points and four tackle points for the team.
