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Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWEAN taekwondo has the potential to scale greater heights on the international scene if more investment is put into junior development, a school sports director has said.
There’s a general belief that a lot of taekwondo talent goes untapped in schools, with a number of potential future champions abandoning the sport once they leave formal education.
Speaking on the sidelines of a schools taekwondo competition at Correspondence Learning Centre (CLC) in Belvedere, Harare, the school’s sports director Victor Muzadzi called for a more vigilant junior development programs to enable the country to realise its full potential in the sport
CLC is one of the leading taekwondo schools, having raked a number of medals at various competitions in Southern Africa.
They achieved another milestone following their invitation to the Africa Cup in Tanzania in October.
“We are showcasing what the kids can do in taekwondo, even from elementary education level right up to Upper Six.
“We train these juniors as much as we can. We teach them the basics and also make them aware that taekwondo is a fruitful sport if pursued diligently,” said Muzadzi.
“We select our teams for SADC competitions from these schools’ inter-house competitions. Every year, we usually go for tournaments in Durban, South Africa.
“This year we also going to the Africa Cup in Tanzania. I think schools are actually doing a lot in terms of taekwondo.
“We have been nurturing talent in terms of taekwondo,” said Muzadzi.
According to the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF), the international governing body for the sport, taekwondo has become a global sport that has gained an international reputation. lt stands among the official games at the Olympics.
It is one of the most systematic and scientific forms of Korean traditional martial arts.
Zimbabwe regularly sends taekwondo participants to the African Games. At the 2015 edition held in Congo Brazzaville, the country was represented by 10 athletes.
Phineus Dzingi, Vusa Ncube, Brian Nduna, Donald Guvheya, Basil Madanha, Tedius Chingosho, Beton Boba, Admire Tshitshiliza, Neville Bhunu and Theresa Masocha were selected to represent Zimbabwe at the 2015 games.
The country will send three athletes for the 2019 African Games in Morocco next month. The games are also serving as the qualifiers for the 2020 Olympics in Japan.
Kudzai Chimombe, Spencer Kondo and Lazarus Maringehosi are part of Team Zimbabwe which was announced by the Sport and Recreation Commission last Friday.
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