Tickets for Sahara Conference Games and Fan Zone Experience in Dakar from March 5-15 On Sale Now at NBA.com/BAL
2022 BAL Season Will Reach Fans in 215 Countries and Territories in 14 Languages Through Free-to-Air and Paid TV Broadcast Partnerships with Canal+, ESPN, NBA TV, Tencent Sports, TSN, American Forces Network and Voice of America; All 38 BAL Games Will Livestream on the NBA App, ; Season Opener Will Feature Senegal’s Dakar Université Club (DUC) Taking on Guinea’s Seydou Legacy Athlétique Club (S.L.A.C) at the Dakar Arena.
The Basketball Africa League (BAL) announced its roster of broadcast partners for the 2022 BAL season, which tipped off yesterday, Saturday, March 5 at the Dakar Arena in Dakar, Senegal, and will include stops in Cairo, Egypt and Kigali, Rwanda. The second BAL season will reach fans in 215 countries and territories in 14 languages through free-to-air and paid TV broadcast partnerships with Canal+, ESPN, NBA TV, Tencent Sports, TSN, American Forces Network (AFN) and Voice of America (VOA), and livestreaming on the NBA App.
In the season opener, Senegal’s Dakar Université Club (DUC) will take on Guinea’s Seydou Legacy Athlétique Club (S.L.A.C), the event will be broadcasted on Canal+, ESPNews and TSN in the first of 38 games taking place across three cities over the next three months. The second BAL Finals will be held Saturday, May 28.
Tickets for the Sahara Conference games and BAL Fan Zone experience at the Dakar Arena from March 5-15 are on sale now at various retail points across Dakar. The first BAL Fan Zone will feature a DJ, live musical performances, concession stands, and merchandise sales, opportunities to meet NBA and basketball legends, and more.
“The BAL is back with an impressive group of world-class broadcast distribution partners for our expanded second season,” said BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall. “As the competition intensifies and travels to more cities in Africa, we are excited that BAL games will reach more fans across Africa and the world on devices and platforms they use most through our partners and the official BAL website.”
Below please find complete details about the 2022 BAL season’s global broadcast distribution:
For the second consecutive year, Canal+ and ESPN will air every BAL game across Francophone and Anglophone countries and territories in sub-Saharan Africa. Canal+ will also produce and distribute original programming about the league, including an eight-episode magazine show “BAL Action” set to premiere March 5.
VOA will broadcast 31 games across its extensive radio network in Africa, including select games in English, French, Portuguese, Kinyarwanda and Wolof. New this year, VOA and the BAL will collaborate on additional programming including weekly podcasts from Dakar, Cairo and Kigali beginning March 4 that will air across VOA and BAL online platforms.
Select free-to-air channels across Africa will air BAL games throughout the season.
In the U.S., the opening game and Finals will air on ESPNews, with all the remaining games available on ESPN+.
ESPN will air the opening game and Finals in select countries in Asia-Pacific, the Caribbean and Latin America, and all BAL games will air on ESPN’s digital platforms in the same regions.
BAL games and programming will be available in Canada on TSN and in China on Tencent Sports.
AFN, which is distributed to U.S. military bases and ships at sea in 167 countries and territories, will air select games live and on delay throughout the season.
NBA TV will broadcast all 38 games live or on delay in the U.S. and around the world.
The 12 BAL teams, which represent 12 African countries and include defending BAL Champion Zamalek (Egypt), have been divided into two conferences – the Sahara Conference and the Nile Conference. Each conference will play a 15-game group phase during which each team will face the five other teams in its conference once. The Sahara Conference group phase will take place at the Dakar Arena from March 5-15, while the Nile Conference group phase will take place at Hassan Mostafa Indoor Sports Complex in Cairo from April 9-19. The top four teams from each conference will qualify for the BAL Playoffs, which will feature a single-elimination tournament and Finals at Kigali Arena from May 21-28.
New Fortress Energy (NFE), Rwanda Development Board (RDB), NIKE, Jordan Brand and Wilson will return as BAL Foundational Partners. The league’s roster of world-class marketing partners also includes Flutterwave and Hennessy.
Basketball Africa League announces roster of broadcast partners for expanded 2022 season tipping off tomorrow
Diredawa, Wolkite booted down Zemariam and Paulos to Youth team
A new phenomena appeared to develop from Ethiopian Premier league clubs that is relegating Head Coaches into Youth team coaches. Wolkite Ketema’s Paulos Getachew Is the latest victim of such precedence receiving a frustrating letter to take over the youth coach duty until the end of his contract.
The first to be handed such harsh letter was Diredawa’s head coach Zemariam W/Giorgis who was booted out of the senior team hot seat following poor results.
According to unofficial sources Zemariam was requested to submit a resignation letter so that never to claim any payments for the remaining contract. “The club has no option but to slap him with such strong letter undermining his professional stature,” stated an official from the club who chose to be anonymous.
Former Harar Brewery Coach who had been Technical Director with Diredawa is the one who replaced Zemariam.
Weeks later Wolkite Ketema handed the same kind of letter sending down one of the premier league senior coaches Paulos Getachew aka Mango to the youth side.
Paulos who boasted building a miraculous squad spearheaded by former Ethiopian international Getaneh Kebede failed to deliver his promises thus sacked even before the end of the league season first round. “I have nothing to say for I am rather surprised with the development. Everyone knows I was fully committed to the club’s success,” Paulos said to reporters.
In the meantime Wolkite appointed former national U-20 and Debub Police coach Temesgen Dana for undisclosed duration.
Currently 9th In the table with 20 points just six points above the relegation zone, Wolkite is expected to name a regular head coach before the start of the second round in the final weeks of March.
Daniel Kebede
Name: Daniel Kebede
Education: Diploma
Company name: Blind Chef
Title: Owner
Founded in: 2021
What it does: Provides catering service for different occasions
HQ: Addis Ababa, 22 ‘Mazoria’
Number of employees: Depends on the occasion /no permanent employee/
Startup Capital: 1 birr
Current Capital: Growing
Reasons for starting the business: My vast catering experience in the sector
Biggest perk of ownership: Staying strong during hard times
Biggest strength: Being Blind
Biggest challenging: Community awareness on disability
Plan: To open a big catering company
First career: Chef
Most interested in meeting: No one
Most admired person: Yetnebersh Nigussie
Stress reducer: Staying in silence
Favourite past time: Time spent with my family
Favourite book: Fikir Eskemekaber
Favourite destination: Dire Dawa
Favourite automobile: None
Historical Similarities between Ethiopia and Mexico: Battle of Adwa and 5 de Mayo
This March 2nd the People and Government of Ethiopia will celebrate the Battle of Adwa Victory Celebration. For that important reason I wish all Ethiopians a happy celebration.
In that context, let me share some historical similarities between the Battle of Adwa in Ethiopia and the Battle of Puebla or Cinco de Mayo in Mexico, respectively.
For my beautiful host country, the Battle of Adwa (የዐድዋ ጦርነት) represents the first victory over colonialism in Ethiopia (and Africa) in the XIX century when the Ethiopian forces led by Emperor Menelik defeated the Italian invading forces.
In the case of Mexico, on Cinco de Mayo, 1862, in the city of Puebla, in central Mexico, Mexican soldiers, along with the Zacapoaxtla indigenous people, defended their territory against the French Army of Napoleon III. French troops not only outnumbered Mexican soldiers but were better trained and much better equipped. Yet, the Mexican division, under the command of Mexican General Ignacio Zaragoza, defeated France’s armed forces.
For both Ethiopians and Mexicans alike, the battles of Adwa and Puebla are reminders of the struggles that we have overcome, through committed and sustained work, to build independent countries with justice, peace and prosperity.
The friendship ties between Mexico and Ethiopia go back to 1936, when Mexico strongly condemned the invasion of Ethiopia at the League of Nations and supported its independence.
While embracing Ethiopian and Mexican history and values, Adwa and Cinco de Mayo is also an opportunity to celebrate and strengthen the friendship that binds the people of Ethiopia and Mexico.
Happy Adwa Victory Day! Long Live Ethiopia!
Victor M. Treviño is the Ambassador of Mexico in Ethiopia.
