Dar es Salaam basketball teams win CRDB Taifa Cup

Dar es Salaam. Dar es Salaam men’s and women’s teams have won this year’s CRDB Bank Taifa Cup Basketball tournament that ended at Tanga’s Bandari court on Saturday evening.

While the Dar es Salaam women’s team won the title after defeating Unguja 67-57, the region’s men’s tem won top honours after outshining Dodoma 57-40 at the same venue.

The winners were presented with their trophies by Tanga Regional Commissioner Omary Mgumba on behalf of Culture, Arts and Sports minister Mohamed Mchengerwa. Apart from the trophies, the winners were also awarded Sh10 million each, while the runners-up were awarded Sh5 million each.

There were also various prizes, including the Most Valuable Player (MVP) that was won by Baraka Sadick of Dar es Salaam in the men’s category and Anamary Cyprian of Unguja, who was the women’s MVP.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, CRDB Bank Managing Director Abdulmajid Nsekela said the bank is proud to have sponsored the tournament which has provided impetus to the development of basketball in Tanzania.

CRDB Bank disbursed Sh350 million as the main sponsor of the competition. The co-sponsor was Sanlam insurance.

Nsekela said that apart from contributing to sports development through the competition, CRDB Bank has also helped young people by providing scholarship opportunities and contributing to the education sector. Revealing that the bank has been receiving many congratulatory messages from various stakeholders, Nsekela said this was a sign of their determination to sponsor sports in Tanzania.

Nsekela also said that CRDB Bank will continue to invest in basketball, and ensure that it attains development to become one of the sports that positively changes the lives of young people.

For his part, Tanga Regional Commissioner Omary Mgumba congratulated all the participating teams, stakeholders, fans and other sponsors for making the tournament a success.

Mgumba said the tournament has inspired many young players to get involved in the game knowing that it provides opportunities, and also contributes to sports development in the country. He said basketball has many opportunities, including developing talent - as it has also invested in education. “There is a lot of enthusiasm in every corner of the country, especially in Tanga, where people are talking about the CRDB Bank Taifa Cup in marketplaces, offices, streets and others.

He noted that the number of fans has been a catalyst for the development of the game and called on TBF to develop the game in primary and secondary schools.