Cestoball take advantage of Covid-19

Tadious Manyepo

Sports Reporter

CESTOBALL Association of Zimbabwe president, Amon Madzvamuse, says his association has made maximum use of the coronavirus-induced lockdown to revamp their grassroots development initiative.

Cestoball is a relatively new sport with its roots in Argentina and Zimbabwe has taken it with Madzvamuse, an expert in growing new sport codes having done so with handball, had been given the mandate to grow this code.

He was in India last year together with some members of his executive to gather technical know-how about the sport.

And upon their return, the crew officially launched the sport at Allan Wilson School with provisional national teams for both male and female immediately announced.

The teams were scheduled to play against Argentina in the South American country this October. The prospects of flying to Argentina hangs in the balance with the current restrictions posed by the Covid-19 epidemic.

While the national team coaches are keeping on monitoring individualised programmes to their players in case the Argentina tour will go ahead, Madzvamuse and his executive have been working tirelessly in their bid to strategise on grassroots development.

“Of course the Covid-19 has brought untold suffering to the development of sport in general and of cestoball in particular but, we have decided to look at the positives,” said Madzvamuse.

“We are a new sport and the ideal scenario would have been for us to try and establish ourselves physically on the ground.

“It would have been good for us to send our national teams to India or any other cestoball powerhouse in the world to gauge our development.

“But, we cannot do that during a time like this. Covid-19 has hampered our development as a developing sport.

“However, we have not been that negative during this period. Instead we have taken full advantage of the lull in almost every activity to engage the provinces. As I speak, we already have 10 sound provincial structures we have established during this period.

“Look, as soon as the coronavirus threat eases, we will be moving around establishing the sport, making sure it is played at every school in the country. We have contacted Nash and Naph, the key figures in establishing the sport and we will further engage them after the COVID-19 pandemic eases.”

Madzvamuse said his executive is still engaging all the relevant authorities and after the introduction of the sport in schools. The association will ultimately consider establishing national leagues at junior and senior levels.