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EDWIN NAIDU
THE Netball World Cup 2023 will be held in Cape Town, South Africa , from 28th July – 6th August 2023 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), with 16 of the world’s top netball nations, including the hosts South Africa, competing. Renowned sports administrator, Sumayya Khan, the Director- General of Sport and Recreation, says it’s an honour for the country to play host to the tournament.
“It is the first time the Netball World Cup will be staged in Africa. This massive gain for Women’s Sports is destined to leave a major legacy of infrastructure and skills development and hopefully exponentially grow the sport in the country and the continent.
This legacy won us the bid to host the event,” she adds. Khan, a former physical education teacher for 17 years in Phoenix, a township north of Durban, is passionate about empowering women in sports.
She says the Ministry is committed to contributing meaningfully to the sector.
“As a teacher, my involvement in the school’s sports and other structures provided a great opportunity for me to develop my capacity in Sport Management and Administration.” As DDG, Khan’s department, supports the provision of mass participation opportunities, the development of elite athletes, and the regulation and maintenance of facilities. Khan says one of her most gratifying experiences has been witnessing the transformation of women’s cricket.
“I qualified as a Bakers Mini Cricket Coach in 1989 and went on to complete the Level 1 and 2 Coaching courses. At the time, there was no automatic transition for girls to move from Mini Cricket to hard ball as young boys could. Hence my quest and engagement with the Cricket Union to ensure that young girls continue to play cricket.
Thankfully, I wasn’t a lone voice; the then UCB started a cricket development programme for girls and women.”
She says it was an honour being a founding member of the provincial Women’s Cricket Association.
“It was not easy challenging the stereotypes and getting resources for young girls and women. Many of us would use our resources and work tirelessly to get sponsors to take players to tournaments. But we soldiered on. To see where women’s cricket now makes me very proud that the commitment and dedication of so many women paved the way for women cricketers to play at a professional level.”
But Khan’s eye is on the big prize – the Netball World Cup.
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