The African Olympic Qualification Tournament is underway and after the first three days of play, the South African men and women occupy the top spots and are in pole position to earn a berth to the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
Six men’s teams and four women’s teams are taking part in the 10-day tournament. The men’s event features South Africa, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Morocco. The women’s quartet is South Africa, Ghana, Kenya and New Zealand.
The South African men kicked off the tournament in grand fashion with an 18-0 drubbing against Morocco in the opening game on Friday. Egypt also cruised in a shutout win, blanking host Zimbabwe, 5-0. The third game of the day ended in a 2-2 draw between Ghana and Kenya.
Day two men’s action was much of the same as the South Africans earned their second double-digit shutout with a 10-0 victory against Zimbabwe. Ghana blanked Morocco, 6-0, while Egypt and Kenya played to a 3-3 draw.
After the first two days of round robin action, South Africa is clearly in control with six points, while Ghana and Egypt are fighting to stay in contention with four points each. Kenya is in the middle of the pack with two points after two ties and still looking for a point, and a goal, are Morocco and host Zimbabwe.
On the women’s side, South Africa leads the pack with three points after a 9-0 win against Kenya. In the only other women’s game of the event so far, Ghana and Zimbabwe played to a scoreless tie.
Both the men’s and women’s tournaments feature a round robin preliminary round followed by placement matches to be played next weekend. The Olympic qualifiers will be known after the final game on Sunday, September 11.
To view the schedule, click here.
