adminDalphine Tagwireyi Sports Reporter
THE ZIMBABWE beach volleyball team will for the umpteenth time take part in the second phase of the Continental Cup Zonal qualifiers penciled for next month in South Africa.The national team which was in Namibia for the first phase of the competition which ran from 4 December to 8 December last year managed to come out tops alongside Angola after beating hosts Namibia, Zambia and Malawi.
In the second phase Zimbabwe and Angola will battle it out with hosts South Africa and Mozambique where one team will be eliminated. The three remaining teams will then take part in the Continental Cup tournament where they will battle it out with teams from North Africa and East Africa.
Zimbabwe was afforded the chance to take part in the tournament last year but failed to raise adequate funds to travel to Morocco, where it (tournament) was held.
The chairperson of the beach volleyball commission Innocent Mpariwa said that it was essential for the national team to compete on a larger arena.
“Failing to travel last time was a huge blow because we needed the experience as a nation of other beach volleyball playing countries other than the countries we have been facing,” he said.
Zimbabwe beach volleyball coach Nyashadzashe Takawira said they had held a tournament last week to select the team that will represent Zimbabwe in SA.
“We held a mini tournament that saw a selection of 20 players, 10 male and an equal number of females who are currently practising and we will hold the last tournament beginning of February to select the final team that we hope will lift the country’s flag high,” he said.
Takawira said most beach volleyball players were coming from mainstream volleyball and hence their integration was taking a bit of time but he said he was confident that the sport would soon make a mark on the international arena.
A motion concurred by Mpariwa who is also the country’s only international certified beach volleyball referee.
Mpariwa said while beach volleyball was still in its infancy, he was proud that the nation had managed to send teams to the Under-19 World Beach Volleyball Championship in Portugal 2013, U-21 World beach volleyball Championship in Croatia and the U-23 World beach volleyball Championships held in Poland.
“It is unfortunate that Zimbabwe did not perform well at the world championships as it was their first time taking part in the grand tournaments, however the experience has motivated some players as they are now part of the national team,” said Mpariwa.
Online Reporter