MASERU — The Second Open Queen ‘Masenate Dancesport Championship has been postponed to June 27 because the organisers have failed to raise M50 000.
The championship was scheduled for tomorrow at Lehakoe Recreation Centre in Maseru.
The Lesotho Dance Sport Association (Ledasa) has been holding the championship since 2008 to mark Queen ‘Masenate Mohato Seeiso’s birthday.
The queen was born on June 2 1976.
Ledasa was hoping to receive funding from the Lesotho Sports and Recreation Commission (LSRC) in order to stage this year’s event.
But the LSRC did not release the money, forcing Ledasa to move the event by three weeks.
“The competition has been postponed to June 27 because there were some problems with the Sports Commission giving us money,” Mathibeli Mokhele, Ledasa public relations officer, told the Lesotho Times.
“We were forced to postpone it because we depend entirely on annual allowances given to us by the commission.”
He added: “We need minus or plus M50 000 for this event.”
Mokhele, however, said the championship will go ahead on June 27 with or without the LSRC money.
“We will either use the money from the LSRC or other means but it is certain that the competition is taking place on June 27,” he said.
Mokhele said some private companies had already promised to sponsor the annual event.
Other countries only started to participate in the championship last year.
The countries taking part this year are Swaziland, South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique, Botswana and Lesotho.
