Online Reporter
Collin Matiza
Zimpapers Sports Hub
A NEW sport — beach wrestling — has sprung in Zimbabwe and it is fronted by the Zimbabwe Wrestling Federation’s interim national executive board.
This sport is rich in both education and entertainment; and it promotes physical fitness and self-defence to the young generation.
Speaking to Zimpapers Sports Hub yesterday, the ZWF’s interim board secretary-general and treasurer, Aleck Makamure Magoto, said beach wrestling also exposes young athletes to international games.
Magoto said plans are already in place to spread the sport to all of the country’s 10 provinces and they will be having an induction course in Harare this coming weekend.
“Induction of the interim provincial chairs will be held from May 22 to 24 at Raregold Resort and practicals will be held at ZRP High School in Hatcliffe on Saturday, May 23,” Magoto said.
The practicals will be led by the ZRP High School’s Wrestling Club, led by one of the country’s top female motocross riders, Tadiwanashe Nyamupfukudza, who is also into beach wrestling.
“Kenzim Club will do the demonstrations. Sports Commission members were advised and will bless the occasion,” Magoto said.
He also said the ZWF have already picked an interim national executive board which will be under the leadership of their president Jonathan Muvungi.
The other members of the ZWF’s interim national executive board are Nomsa Mangwende (vice-president), Tapiwa Mukombe (vice-president), Blessing Mashingaidze (marketing director) and Denis Manjengwa (technical director).
“This interim board is fully committed to taking the sport of beach wrestling to all the 10 provinces.
“We would like to make it one of the most popular sporting disciplines in this country,” Magoto said.
But what is beach wrestling?
Beach wrestling is a dynamic, fast-paced version of traditional wrestling practiced in a sand-filled circle.
Recognised by United World Wrestling, it focuses purely on standing techniques, explosive takedowns, and pushing the opponent out of bounds.
Matches are designed to be simple to judge and highly engaging for spectators.
While the UWW formalised the modern ruleset in 2004, wrestling on sand dates back thousands of years as one of humanity’s oldest sports.
It has exploded in popularity in recent years, featuring prominently in the Beach Wrestling World Series and the ANOC World Beach Games.
In fact, there are many types of wrestling including traditional, oil and mass.
Beach is traditional wrestling played on a sandy circle marked with a 7m diameter ring.
Points are attained from takedowns and push outs and a throw of an opponent flat on their back. The sport is also now recognised by the International Olympic Committee.
In Zimbabwe, the federation recently managed to send two athletes to Morocco, — Yafir Mutundu from Kenzim Club and Nyamupfukudza, a ZRP High School Wrestling Club member.
They were led by the director of the wrestling club, Papiwa Masinire, coach Dembedza and the out-going secretary-general Lovemore Mhlanga. Locally, beach wrestling is affiliated to the Sports and Recreation Commission and ZOC. And internationally, it is affiliated to the Africa union Sports Council Region 5 of which Masinire is the president.
Its offices are based in South Africa.
