Rugby Africa has announced that the 2020 edition of under 20
Barthes Trophy, which was set to be held in Nairobi from April 19 to 26, has
been postponed to a later date due coronavirus outbreak concerns.
In consultation with Kenya Rugby Union and World Rugby, the President
of Rugby Africa Khaled Babbou, said that the Executive Committee, resorted to
heed to the call by the Kenya Health Ministry.
“The Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kenya issued an
update on COVID-19 on the 6th of March, stating that the Government has, with
immediate effect banned all meetings, conferences and events of international
nature in Kenya,” said Mr. Babbou.
He added, “As much as Rugby Africa, the host and most of all
the young players are looking forward to the continental U20 competition in
Nairobi, we need to take every precaution we possibly can from our side to
protect our players and support the fight against the Coronavirus as set out by
the authorities. The tournament is not cancelled, but only postponed to a later
date which we will communicate in due time. We thank the Kenyan Rugby Union for
their tremendous support.”
Kenya Rugby Union Chairman Oduor Gangla confirmed Mr. Babbou
sentiments by sasying “As a host union the safety and welfare of the
participants is at the heart of our endeavours. We support Rugby Africa and the
Kenyan authorities in their protective measures to our best abilities and
therefore fully support the decision to postpone the U20 Barthés Trophy.”
The Barthés Trophy is the only junior tournament in Africa
and 8 national U20 teams compete for the title.
Participating teams in 2020 (in order of the current
ranking): Kenya, Namibia, Senegal, Madagascar, Tunisia, Zimbabwe, Côte
d’Ivoire, Zambia.
Discussion about this post