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Feb. 26, 2022

STAFF REPORTER

2 min read

Basketball referees officiate college tourney in SA

Basketball referees officiate college tourney in SA

Story highlights

    Mara accepted the challenge with both hands
    Regards officiating regional games on home soil as a great honour

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TWO Lesotho Basketball Association (LBA) referees, Tumelo Mara and Mookho Ntebe on Tuesday left the country to officiate the St John’s Basketball tournament in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The invitation to officiate the South African college tournament comes just a few months after the two referees officiated at the Maseru 2020 AUSC Region 5 Games.

Speaking with Metro Newspaper, Mara said officiating the regional games on home soil was a great honour to him.

“The games were really amazing. It was a great experience with great officials from the SADC region,” he said.

“With over 15-years in the basketball fraternity, for me it was a dream come true to be part of the regional games and the pressure that came after the appointment to officiate the first game of the tournament between South Africa and Botswana Girls.”

He said although he initially had goose-bumps after learning about the appointment to officiate the first games, he had to accept the challenge with both hands and never looked back after the games started.

Mara went on to officiate the final of the boys in the 3 by 3 category as well as the semi-final of the boys’ tournament.

“I accepted the challenge with both hands, and was proud of myself as I went on to officiating more games. But officiating the boys semi-final between Angola and Botswana was another highlight as well as the 3 by 3 category of the boys final,” the Lesotho basketball referee said.

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“Going to the St John’s College Basketball tournament is another milestone that I’m very proud of.  It makes me happy that my hard work and that of my colleagues is now being recognised in the region.

“I will keep on working hard despite the challenges that we have faced preparing to go to this tournament,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Lesotho Volleyball Association (LVA), recently announced that it had secured financial support from the Lesotho national Olympic Committee (LNOC), for their national Women Volleyball team, which will enable them to compete in various continental competitions.

The competitions include the Women’s African Nations Volleyball Championships and the 2022 World Championship qualifiers to be held in Egypt in September.

The team will also be enrolled in the Women’s African Nations Volleyball Championship to be held in Tunisia in 2023 as well as the 2024 Paris Olympic Zonal qualifiers scheduled for Mozambique in 2024.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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