Kenya will host the second edition of the Africa Youth Scrabble Championship from August 14th to 17th at the Brighton International School in Nairobi.
In an interview with KBC during the two-day Scrabble Masters tournament in Nairobi on Sunday, Pan African Scrabble Association (PANASA) President Adekoyejo Adegbesan stated that over 120 players from 13 countries have confirmed their participation, with four more nations expected to do so.
“It’s a second edition It’s being held here in Nairobi, Kenya, at the Brighton International School in Katani, and we’re preparing already we already have a local organising committee that is working on, every part of the event we are planning with the host. So everything is going as planned. We’re currently looking at sponsorship, and, I mean, it’s the best of the best, you know, in terms of youth participation on the continent, and it’s going to be here, in Nairobi. At the moment, we already have 13 countries confirmed,we are expecting another four more countries to confirm, and we’re expecting about 120 to 150 players from all over Africa, from the ages of seven up to 19, to participate in the event.” PANASA President said
Adekoyejo also announced advanced plans to make the sport an Olympic sport after it was introduced at last year’s All African Games in Ghana.
He also stated that, in preparation for the young scrabble championships in Nairobi, PANASA has planned a trophy tour among the participating countries, which will take place in Nairobi in May of this year.
“Do not forget the Pan African scrabble association governs the game of scrabble on the continent of Africa,so there’s still a national a world body called WESPA, for which, Kenya has a sit on. So we’re
working with countries, like Kenya and the other countries on the on the, world body, to see how we can even first get it into the Commonwealth that’s an easier one to target and then now start to talk about the, Olympics but to get a game into the Olympics, it does take, some time,but I think we’ve started first with the one that we could reach out we we we could reach, which is the Africa games, and then we look at the next ones in the next couple of, months and years to come.”Concluded Adekoyejo
The PANASA President was in Kenya for the 13th edition of the Scrabble Kenya Masters Series competition, which took place at the Nairobi Stima Club over two days.
Francis Wachira won 15 matches and lost three, for a total of 798 points,Philip Mutinda came in second with 12 wins and six defeats, and Willy Mwangi rounded out the podium with 11 wins and six losses.