The Championships will see seven countries taking part alongside the hosts, including South Africa, Malawi, Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and the Seychelles, and will consist of competition for juniors, seniors and masters.

Swaziland Judo Association (SJA) President Tertius Esterhuizen confirmed the staging of the tournament, claiming it will accelerate the growth of judo in the country over the next few years.

Esterhuizen said that in order to stage the Championships – for which a date has yet to be confirmed – the SJA will begin to look for sponsors as annual funding from the Government will not cover costs.

"The Federation's executive members will shortly start to approach sponsors to assist them financially with the hosting of this event," said Esterhuizen.

"We will also send invitations to, for instance the Ministers of Sport and Education once we finalised a date.

"This is a high-profile tournament and for that reason we have to carefully select a venue.

"We need to leave a great impression on our visitors and for that reason we need to book the players into the best hotels."

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


Related Stories
February 2014: Former Olympic champion leads inaugural IJF Development Project in Zambia