Accra, March 22, GNA - The maiden edition of the Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges Basketball Championship (UPAC) will commence this Saturday, March 26, with members of Zone A doing battle at the Nkrumah Basketball Court, University of Cape Coast.

The championship will be the first time public and private tertiary institutions are coming together in the history of the sport in the country= .. The event will once again be under the organization of Rite Multimedia= , a leading name in the promotion of Basketball in Ghana, with communications giants Tigo as the main sponsors.

Twelve 12 selected Universities and Polytechnics will participate in the championship, which will be played on zonal basis, spanning, March 26 t= o April, 9, 2011.

The championship will see Zone A comprising institutions from Western and Central Regions made up University of Education, Winneba, University of Cape Coast, Takoradi Polytechnic and Cape Coast Polytechnic making up the number.

Zone B will see Accra Polytechnic, Central University College, University of Ghana and Institute of Professional Studies (IPS) locking horns at the University of Ghana main Basket Ball Court on April 2. In Zone C, Kumasi Polytechnic will play host to Sunyani Polytechnic, Garden City University and Christian Service University on April 9. It will be recalled that Rite Multimedia recently organized a similar event for Basic Schools throughout the country, with Air-Force Junior High School, Burma Camp, winning the ultimate trophy.

Lawrence Nartey Kornor, Head of Production at Rite Multimedia, told through to the tertiary levels. =91=91This new initiative is in line with Rite Multimedia's plan to= make basketball accessible and competitive as it exists in other parts of the world''. He noted.

Konrno said the initiative is expected to create a unique opportunity for students to drive their passion through basketball, unleash energy and display a high sense of team work and to develop the can-do-attitude.

The Championship would be sponsored by telecommunications giants TIGO and produced by RITE Multimedia, an event management company directly involved with the development and promotion of basketball in the country. The grand finale will be staged in Accra on April 16 with two teams from each Zone battling for the TIGO branded trophy and the bragging rights= ..