Africa at the Netball World Cup: four teams are set to inspire the continent

Kamilla Swart, Hamad Bin Khalifa University

The Netball World Cup was first held in 1963. It’s the largest women’s sporting event on the planet – and for the first time it’s being hosted in Africa. Four African teams have made the final 16 of the 2023 tournament, which takes place in Cape Town, South Africa from July 28 until 6 August. They are Malawi, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe. Hosting the event carries significant implications for South Africa, but also for the growth and image of the sport in the rest of the continent. Kamilla Swart is a professor and scholar who specialises in sport tourism and mega-events like this. We asked her five questions.

How would you describe the state of the sport in Africa?

The tournament’s presence in South Africa reflects the growing popularity and development of netball in Africa. While netball has historically been more prominent in