This archive report was first published on 13 August 2019.
Published on August 13, 2019, a viral video from the Women's national basketball team in Senegal exposed the country's neglect of its national teams. The team, currently participating in the FIBA AfroBasket Women championship in Dakar, Senegal, sent a distress signal through a video, highlighting their financial struggles and lack of support.
The team had been forced to travel without two players and the assistant coach, leaving them with only 10 players and one coach. In the video, a player expressed their frustration, stating, 'We have experienced very poor standards. We have only been paid Sh 10,000 from this assignment. We are being forced to play an international tournament with only ten players and one coach while being expected to perform at a high level which puts us at a great disadvantage.'
The team claimed that the budget allocated to them meant that each player gets Sh 5000 per day, which they believed was insufficient. They addressed the video to the Women's commission, hoping that they would hear their concerns and intervene to improve their situation.
Kenya's basketball teams have been struggling with neglect and financial issues, despite showing promise in international tournaments. The men's team, for instance, represented the country well in the Fiba men Africa Cup of Nations in Bamako, Mali, making it to the finals of the tournament for the first time.
However, the men's team also faced financial struggles, traveling to Bamako without sponsorship from the Sports Fund. A local basketball governing body sponsored their trip, and a team member even sponsored their kits.
The Women's national team is set to play their last match in the tournament against Angola on Tuesday, having already lost two matches against Mozambique and Ivory Coast.
