New Africa hockey calendar released
Kenya women hockey team players celebrate their win against Ghana during Hockey World League match played at City Park Stadium on September 6, 2014. PHOTO | CHRIS OMOLLO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Also rescheduled is the North-West Region event that will now bully off from February 15 to 21 in Accra. It will feature Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Togo.
The Africa Hockey Federation has released a revised coronavirus interrupted calendar of events.
In the new programme, Kenya will now host the North-East Africa Region qualifiers for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations from January 18 to 24 next year at the Sikh Union grounds.
The North-East Region event was initially scheduled for May 11 to 17 this year, but was put on hold by AFHF because of Covid-19. Kenya lost their automatic berth to qualify for the continental showpiece after falling in the world rankings.
Kenya’s men's team are scheduled to face Burundi, Libya, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Seychelles in the North-East qualifiers. The top two nations will proceed to next year’s Cup of Nations.
The women’s team will battle favourites Egypt, Burundi, Libya, Seychelles, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda for the two qualification slots.
Kenya Hockey Union Secretary General Wycliffe Ongori welcomed the development, noting that players were eager to get back to action.
“Sporting action around the world is resuming and hockey has not been left behind. Of course we will ensure that we stage a world class event and also follow all health protocols to protect everyone involved,” he said on Wednesday.
“We have been waiting for these dates and now preparations can continue because we want to deliver a great event,” he added.
Also rescheduled is the North-West Region event that will now bully off from February 15 to 21 in Accra. It will feature Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Togo.
