Online Reporter
Media Mpofu, Zimpapers Sports Hub
THE Zimbabwe Footgolf Association president, Daniel Kuwengwa, believes the sport will be among the biggest sporting disciplines in the next three years.
Kuvengwa said this at the end of their first national tournament, an event run smoothly over two days at Bulawayo’s Harry Allen Golf Club last Thursday and Friday.
The competition, the first in the organisation’s first three years of existence, saw participants from 10 provinces taking part.
“Today, we were holding the first-ever Zimbabwe Open Footgolf Championship, which is a qualifier for a regional tournament that is going to be held in Victoria Falls in November. Today, we had a full course with 66 footgolfers who were drawn from all 10 provinces,” said Kuwengwa.
The tournament had a very national appeal, with qualifiers for the Bulawayo competition having begun at the district level.
“The competitions started from the district level and we had 60 districts participating, we are happy with the participation, attendance and the quality of footgolf that we have seen,” he said.
Kuvengwa said in three years, they have managed to be visible in 72 districts, a remarkable achievement for the young sport.
“This is a new sport, which is barely three years old in the country and we are happy that we are in all the 72 districts and 10 provinces in the country.
“People are receiving us very well, we are having a lot of partners coming in,” he said, adding that the National Aids Council (Bulawayo), AHZ and Dulys were among the sponsors.
Kuwengwa believes footgolf will be among the top five sporting disciplines in Zimbabwe in the near future.
“We are going to be among the top five sporting disciplines in the next five years and we can say that because we have strong structures at district level and at the same time we have partnered with Naph and Nash,” said Kuwengwa who is also secretary-general of the Africa Footgolf Federation.
He said their target is to be active in more than 6 000 secondary and primary schools.
Kuvengwa said Zimbabwe is on course to become one of the top footgolf nations in the world.
A notable participant was Eleven Kambizi, a Member of Parliament from Mashonaland Central.
