It's all systems go for the Junior Africa Cup

© Team Kenya Facebook

HOCKEY It's all systems go for the Junior Africa Cup

Abigael Wafula 17:17 - 01.03.2023

Top two teams in both categories will compete at the FIH Junior World Cup in December

Kenya Hockey Union has sent two teams to the Junior Africa Cup slated for March 12-19 at the Suez Canal Authority Stadium in Ismailia, Egypt.

The event will feature the men’s and women’s team and Kenya is represented in both. The women’s team has attracted other countries including South Africa, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and the hosts while the men’s category has attracted the hosts, Ghana, Nigeria and Zimbabwe.

Kenya has only managed to win the men’s tournament once in the 1981 edition, the year it was founded. Since then, Egypt and South Africa have dominated the events with Egypt winning the previous edition staged in 2016.

In the women’s category, Kenya has also bagged a win once, in the 1993 edition and will be looking to go back to winning ways. South Africa has dominated the event since the 1997 edition winning back-to-back titles to 2016, when the event was last staged.

The women will open their title campaign against hosts Egypt while the men will play against South Africa.

In a presser released by the Africa Hockey Union, the top two teams in both categories will get a chance to compete at the FIH Junior World Cup in December.

Kenya has only attended the global showpiece  once, in the 1982 edition where the men settled for ninth place. In the women’s category, just like the men, they have attended the event once where they placed 12th in the 1993 edition.