By GWEN CFHIPASULA –
THE Zambia Tennis Association (ZTA) has so far managed to clear US$1, 900 (about K21, 600) from the $3, 000 it owes the continental motherbody, the Confederation of African Tennis (CAT).
As a result, the association has been allowed to be part of the international tennis community where it had been exiled for non-payment of the affiliation fee.
The $3, 000 ZTA owed was in unpaid affiliation fees for 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016, with the earlier years debt cancelled as bad debt.
The ZTA says it will clear the balance before the end of this year.
ZTA vice-president (South) Crispin Moyo said yesterday that the money was paid last week when the association president Francis Musonda attended the CAT annual general meeting in South Africa.
He said Zambia had been invited to take part in the Africa under-18 junior tennis in Zimbabwe next month.
“We have been verbally assured of an invitation to the Africa under-18 championship and all we are waiting for is a letter from CAT.
“But we are happy that after being off international tournaments for over six years, we can finally make it possible for our players to get exposed,” he said.
Moyo said the association was in the process of selecting the junior team to send to the Zimbabwe continental tournament.
He said the association could now freely consider finding sponsors for various tournaments to help the players raise the level of the game.
