Kenya is expecting a boost in sports tourism after the Kenya Rugby Union won the bid to host the U20 Barthés Trophy tournament in April.

The tournament will be hosted in Nairobi for the next three years. Kenya Rugby Union Chairman, Oduor Gangla, said the country was honoured and that he appreciated the support of Cabinet Secretary for Sports, Heritage and Culture, Dr Amina Mohamed.

“We will work closely with Rugby Africa, the government, commercial sponsors, media and other stakeholders to ensure successful delivery of the events,” said Gangla.

President of the Competition Commission of Rugby Africa and President of the Senegal Rugby Federation, Guédel N’Diaye, said he believed the commitment shown by Kenya Rugby Union would strengthen the future of the sport.

“Through this competition we can measure the real progress accomplished by the federation in terms of the development rugby amongst the youth,” said N’Diaye.

The Barthés Trophy is the only junior tournament in Africa and eight national U20 teams compete for the title. The countries participating in the tournament are Kenya, Namibia, Senegal, Madagascar, Tunisia, Zimbabwe, Côte d’Ivoire, and Zambia.