By: Kavii Vezemburuka The third edition of the country’s premier rugby sevens tournament - the Safland Sevens - was launched in Windhoek yesterday and has been slated for the weekend of the 10th and 11th November 2017 in Swakopmund The tournament, which is in its third year, will once again see African sevens outfits in action, with national teams from Namibia, South Africa, Lesotho, Uganda, Kenya, Mauritius, Zambia and Zimbabwe all making their presence felt. From Europe, the Czech Republic will make their debut in the tournament, following in the footsteps of Germany and Poland who participated in previous tournaments. “This is a big year for us as a company: not only is Safland turning 25 years, we are also working towards the listing of the frontier Property find on the Namibia Stock Exchange. We view our involvement in the Safland 7’s as a way of giving something back to the country," said Kallie van der Merwe of Safland. The Safland Sevens will also include a club and provincial competition for teams from Namibia and South Africa. According to Chief Executive Officer of the Namibia Rugby Union, Elizma Theron, there will be added benefits this year to the two-day rugby showpiece, and a Sevens school tournament for four age groups will also run parallel to the tournament. The U-19, U-17, U-15 and U-13’s will all form part of the festivities. The tournament will also offer a chance to Namibia Sevens coach, Jurie Booysen to test his team against some of the best Sevens players in the world. “ This tournament is an ideal opportunity for our players to hone their skills against the best. As the host we are ready and raring to go.” Said Booysen. No sponsorship amount could be revealed at the occasion, despite inquiry on the issue from members of the media. It previously came to light that a clause in the sponsorship agreement between the Union and the sponsor does not allow for this to be disclosed to the public.