The first phase of the women’s singles preliminaries of the 2023 edition of the Billy Jean King Cup Tournament began on Monday June 5 with the clash between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Lesotho. It was the Congolese tenniswoman Wantono Charlène who won in two sets, 6-1 and 6-1, against the athlete Maisa Monyama. In women’s doubles, the Congolese team also won against Lesotho with a score of 2 sets to 0.
The second day of the preliminaries will take place this Tuesday, June 6, with the women’s doubles match between the Women’s Leopards of the DRC and the Lionesses of Teranga of Senegal. This year, the DRC team is made up of Nancy Onya, Marie Bosman, Charlène Wantono and Kati Bolangi, all members of the North Kivu Tennis League and placed in group B with Congo Brazzaville, Cameroon, Lesotho, and Madagascar.
Group A consists of the host country, Rwanda, Tanzania, Angola, Mozambique and Ethiopia. Teams will compete throughout the week in this premier competition.
Apart from sporting competitions, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is facing an economic, social and political crisis which is reflected in the news headlines. Security problems persist in some parts of the country, as evidenced by the M23 rebellion in North Kivu. Fortunately, peacemakers like Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle come to Goma to bring their message of peace and hope.
In addition, the Congolese franc exchange rate continues to fluctuate on the official and parallel markets, according to the Central Bank of the Democratic Republic of Congo. In politics, almost 500 parties are registered, but it is not always clear what is the ideological line or the program associated with these parties.
The leader of the opposition, Martin Fayulu, continues to demand a reliable and transparent electoral register for the next legislative and provincial elections. Finally, the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations Côte d’Ivoire 2024 will take place next year and is highly anticipated by sports fans.
In this dense and often complex news, it is important to keep in mind the social, economic and political issues that drive the Democratic Republic of Congo.