ISF boss Petrynka pledges partnership with Africa on school sports growth

The ISF boss is in Arusha as a special guest hosted, for the first time, by the Federation of East Africa Secondary Schools Sports Association (FEASSSA) officials at this year’s regional games in the Tanzanian city.

Petrynka, who is accompanied by the ISF Director of Sports Josip Košutić, said the federation is keen to oversee smooth operation of school sport among its member federations in the world.

“We’re committed to help our members in technical development and we will be ready to send specialists to any member who is in need of our technical support. Africa has a big potential to be on the same table with other continents and we want to unlock this potential.

“The continent is as important as the others and I’m happy to say that FEASSSA is doing a great job in ensuring that school sport excels in this region,” Petrynka, who is also a International Olympic Committee (IOC) member, said.

With many African members grappling with financial constraints, which have put their dreams to compete in ISF events on the back- burner, Petrynka revealed that the federation had moved to support its members during the international events.

Meanwhile, five-time volleyball regional champions Kwanthanze Girls and Kesogon Mixed Secondary School will renew their epic rivalry in the final of the East African School Games after winning their respective semi-final matches Wednesday.

Kwanthanze blew away IPRC Rwanda by 3-1 sets (25-16, 23-25, 25-12) to book a final slot while Kesogon defeated home girls Mkalapa 3-0 (25-15, 25-17, 25-17) to set up a Kenyan-affair showdown on Thursday morning.

Coach Justin Kigwari has set his eyes on a sixth East African crown but Kesogon, whom they defeated in the Kenyan final, will hope they can finally pull off an upset.

“I’m happy the title will be won by a Kenyan team but I’ll be very happy if Kwanthanze win it for the sixth time. The players are in high spirits but we’re not underrating our worthy opponents because they've displayed great performance in maiden participation in East Africa.”

In the national final, Kwanthanze rallied from a set down (25-20) to win 25-17, 25-13, 25-19 and defend their title as the newcomers Kesogon settled for silver on their maiden appearance at the nationals.

This year is a repeat of a Kenyan affair in the final after Kwanthanze defeated Cheptil 3-0 to win their fourth successive regional title in 2019, interestingly in Arusha.