Andrew
Arthur Choga
IT is the season to be jolly.
For some, more than others, this is a season of celebration. I am trying to imagine what kind of Christmas parties are going on in all parts of Argentina this weekend. Being a largely Catholic nation, they take these events very seriously. Add a World Cup football title to that mix and the parties will certainly be epic.
We, in Zimbabwe, had nothing to do with the Qatar World Cup directly. We were spectators, and ended up adopting all manner of teams along the way for various reasons, picking up new ones as our favourites dropped out. Qualifiers for the next edition begin sooner than we think and it remains to be seen whether we will be a part of that discussion.
I have a Christmas wish list for Zimbabwean sport, which I will share with you below.
Football: Facilities, fans and funding
After watching the aforementioned World Cup, all football stakeholders should be in no doubt about the need to work very hard on our sporting facilities. Good facilities make the game more professional, attract new fans to the game and give sponsors good value.
Fans are the lifeblood of football. Their hard-earned income is what oils the football business machine globally. My prayer is that their concerns and wishes are taken into consideration when planning.
Football requires corporate support for stability. The Sports ministry, partners, football leaders and strategists should come together to formulate a national plan that gives corporates incentives to back sport and make these incentives known.
It is embarrassing for sports associations to always be writing begging letters, saying, “We call upon the corporate world to support us in this venture . . .”, time and time again.
Netball: Next level and new partners
The Gems have qualified for successive World Cup finals.
This calls for celebration and recognition across all sectors of our society. It also calls for astute planning to ensure the levels of success are sustained.
The netball team should avoid the pitfalls faced by the German male football team. Winners of the World Cup in Brazil in 2014, they have failed to get past the first hurdle in the last two World Cups, while holding onto some of their players from the 2014 triumph.
Managed transition and continuous improvement will take the team ever further.
Rugby: Renewal and growth
Referee Precious Pazani rewrote the history books with two appearances at the HSBC World Rugby Series in Cape Town this year. She became the first Zimbabwean to do so. More power to her and may she continue to scale greater heights.
The rugby team has blown hot and cold. The Sables have continued to be their usual self, in equal parts exhilarating and frustrating.
The Sevens side, The Cheetahs, end the year with good news. They have been named among the 12 men’s teams for the two-legged World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series 2023 set for South Africa next year.
They will be joined by Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Jamaica, Korea, Papua New Guinea, Tonga and Uganda. The Sevens team look poised for growth.
The women’s game continues to attract interest and attention and will need increased investment to move further than the current levels attained by individual support and passion.
Cricket: Continuation of current and some consistency
Making the Super 12 of the T20 World Cup was a highlight of the national men’s team – The Chevrons. They displayed great heart to battle through. However, they should now believe in their own capacity to beat anyone they face. They have a glorious chance to test their resolve with an early Test series against West Indies in Bulawayo in February.
The Zimbabwe Under-19 men’s team are set for the World Cup in India and should build on the experience of their seniors.
The women’s Under-19 team takes part in the inaugural World Cup in South Africa, looking for an impressive performance.
In June and July, Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) will host the World Cup qualifier, with 10 nations coming through.
ZC also host their first global T10 championship, the Zim-Afro T10, in March. It will be interesting to see how this one goes.
It will be a busy year for cricket and one in which the brand can cement its status as a rising power in the game.
Tennis: Deeper into the Davis Cup
Since making the quarter-finals of the World Group of the Davis Cup – the premier team event in men’s tennis – in 1998, Zimbabwe have moved around the lower levels of the game. They got promotion into the World Group II this year and will host Uruguay for a chance to make it into the World Group I. The Lock brothers, Benjamin and Courtney, Mehluli Sibanda and Ethan Sibanda have battled to move forward and non-playing captain Gwinyai Tongoona has kept them motivated for their battles.
Hockey: The growing power
Zimbabwe hockey this year was making the right kind of news. Both men and women teams qualified for the African Games and will go in there with confidence after winning their respective qualifiers. There has been a flurry of youth tours as the year ended and these bode well for the future of the game.
Now, all stakeholders should come together and physically go to Khumalo and Magamba hockey grounds, weep and do the right thing.
Boxing: Punching to gold
Boxing produced one of the sporting moments of the year when Kudakwashe “Take Money” Chivandire beat Zulina Munoz to retain her WBC Interim title. It was a beautiful moment and one the sport should use to launch greater presence in the year ahead. Lately, much has been happening behind the scenes in boxing and it is clearly just a matter of time before the sport establishes itself as a major contender for honours.
Swimming: Sungura or swimming?
May the sport reclaim the Chitungwiza Aquatic Complex, or at least begin the process of rehabilitating it and making it fit for its intended purpose.
The sport has shown glimpses of activity and needs to cast its net wider among the population to truly grow the way cricket has done.
These wishes require action to come to pass.
They will require vision on the part of the leaders of the respective sports. They will require commitment from policy makers and it will take a dose of more than what we have always done to go to the next level.
Have a sporting Christmas.
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