This archive report was first published on 8 November 2019.
On November 8, 2019, the first African Woodball Championships came to a close, with Kenya's Peter Waweru and David Wairimu emerging as the champions in the men's doubles category.
The duo won the gold medal with a combined 51 strokes, leaving Uganda's William Osie and Joel Adupe in second place with 57 strokes.
The sport of Woodball, which originated in Asian countries like Malaysia and Taiwan, was introduced in Kenya in 2009 at Kenyatta University.
Woodball is played using a wooden stick with a bottle-shaped end to hit the wooden ball in patterns created on the field, known as gates.
The players are categorized into singles, doubles, and mixed doubles, with men and women teams competing separately.
Kenya has mostly university students participating in the sport, as the Ministry of Sports has not yet recognized it, hindering the formation of a national team.
Despite this, the sport has gained popularity in Africa, with countries like Sudan and Tanzania joining the championships and participating in 2017.
In the women's doubles category, Uganda's Sophia Namudu and Prossy Nankya took the gold medal with 60 strokes, while Kenya's Gloria Kongu and Veronicah Munuve won silver with 62 strokes.
The Kenya Woodball Open is set to begin, following the conclusion of the African Woodball Championships.
Kenya Woodball Federation Secretary General Samuel Litaba expressed his satisfaction with the progress made in the sport since its introduction.
"I'm happy with how far we have come, even participating in the second Beach Woodball World Cup held in Mombasa," said Litaba.
