Cape Town, South Africa – The International Netball Federation (INF) has today announced that Netball South Africa has won the rights to host the 16th staging of the Netball World Cup in 2023.
The tournament will be held in the International Convention Centre in the heart of the iconic city of Cape Town, widely renowned for its international reputation in hosting sports and other major events. This is the first time the Netball World Cup will be held in the continent of Africa.
INF President, the Hon. Molly Rhone, OJ, CD, said: “On behalf of the Board of the International Netball Federation, I am delighted to announce that Netball South Africa has been awarded the rights to host the 2023 Netball World Cup.
“We were delighted to receive two exceptional bids and the INF Board was satisfied that both Netball New Zealand and Netball South Africa would be capable of hosting a successful and thrilling NWC2023. The INF Board decided that the significant investment that the South African Government and Western Cape were prepared to make over the next four years in netball facilities and coaching programmes in South Africa, the African continent and beyond would deliver a greater impact on the development of global netball.
“It is an exciting time for netball right now. Our sport is growing in popularity at an unprecedented rate throughout the world. There is increasing competitiveness between the top nations and now three teams from Africa feature in the top 10 of the INF World Rankings. We look forward to working with the Organising Committee to bring the INF’s most important event to South Africa in 2023.”
CEO of Netball South Africa Blanche de la Guerre commented: “Hosting this World Cup will make more young girls in our Country to participate in the sport, especially young girls from the working class background. It will also play a major role in contributing to social cohesion and nation building cause that’s what sport is all about. Netball’s footprint may be the largest of all sporting codes in the country, mainly played in rural provinces. During this event we will wish all the man to rally behind the sport and assist us with eradicating violence against woman and children and we also hope that this Netball World Cup will demonstrate to all man out there that we as woman we have a purpose in life and hopefully the violence we see against women can come to an end. We therefore take this opportunity to thank INF for giving us this period to host this august 2023 INF Netball World Cup” indicated Minister of Sport and Recreation South Africa, Honourable Thokozile Xasa.
Mr Mokoditloa Eliakim (Alec) Moemi, Director General, said: ‘This exciting news for netball in South Africa will allow government and its bid partners to develop and promote the sport not only in the Western Cape province but throughout South Africa and Africa. What clinched the bid is that South Africa committed to a legacy which would enable netball to grow in leaps and bounds in the Western Cape, South Africa and Africa and award so many young girls the opportunity of playing the game in the future.’
City of Cape Town Mayco Member of Safety, Security and Events, Alderman JP Smith said: “Cape Town are delighted together with the Western Cape Province to have been named as hosts of this major sporting showcase. Our City has proved time and time again to deliver on hosting major events and was named and after few successive awards in the past few years in December the world’s leading festival and events destination. It’s time now for Cape Town, time for South Africa, time for Africa and time for Netball.”
