Sport
Can Zambia turn BAL Qualifiers hosting rights into basketball growth?
Its do or dunk for Munali Suns
Picture: Zambian Business Times
Its do or dunk for Munali Suns as the Basketball Africa League (BAL) qualifiers come alive.
Zambia is hosting the tournament from 30th October 30 to November 3, 2026, Munali Suns will represent Zambia in the Division East qualifiers, where they are expected to compete against five other teams starting tonight.
Youth Basketball Foundation Director, Mwape Kansolo has expressed excitement over Zambia’s hosting rights of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) qualifiers, stating that the opportunity reflects growing recognition of the country’s basketball potential at regional level.
Lusaka is set to become a basketball hub during the tournament, attracting regional sides, including South Africa’s Soweto Panthers and Malawi’s Brave Hearts.
Speaking in an interview with Zambian Business Times – ZBT, Konsolo said that Zambia is being recognised at the regional level and it is up to the country to rise to the same level in terms of preparation and performance.
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He urged Munali Suns to make the most of the home-court advantage and surpass Matero Magic’s achievement of reaching the Elite 16 stage last year. “Their target should be to surpass what Matero Magic did last year by reaching the Elite 16. At the moment, we are improving,” said Konsolo.
However, the chairman noted that while hosting the qualifiers at the National Sports Development Centre (NASDEC) is a positive development, Zambia needs to invest in modern, purpose-built basketball facilities with greater seating capacity.
He said improving sports infrastructure could strengthen the country’s prospects of hosting the main BAL competition, bringing potential economic benefits while inspiring more young people to participate in basketball.
“We need to look at improving our facilities, especially by increasing seating capacity. International bodies normally focus on facilities when assessing hosting bids. If we can have at least one or two facilities, FIBA could also be attracted. As it stands, we can only host Road to BAL,” he said.
Beyond infrastructure, Konsolo called on the business community to support Munali Suns and the wider development of basketball, particularly during the upcoming qualifiers.
He added that greater corporate involvement could help strengthen the sport and enable Zambia to maximise the commercial and developmental opportunities presented by hosting regional competitions.
Article by Samuel Mutale
Source: Zambian Business Times — Read more
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