Handball federation to host refs’ course

and will be hosted by the ZHF in conjunction with the National Association of Secondary Schools Heads and National Association of Primary Schools Heads.
The ZHF have invited a top South African handball official, Germain Kabamba, to conduct this four-day course.
Amon Madzvamuse, the ZHF president, said yesterday that the refereeing course is targeting all Nash and Naph handball officials and other interested parties.
“This refereeing course is designed mostly for schoolteachers who handle or officiate at local handball tournaments under  Nash and Naph.
“We’ve decided to conduct this refereeing course as part of our efforts to equip these officials with the latest or new international rules of handball refereeing.
“So, we’ve invited 10 officials from each of the 10 Provinces in Zimbabwe and we also expect every school that plays handball in this country to send at least one representative to this course.
“We are expecting more than 100 participants to attend this International Handball Federation-recognised course and they (the participants) will receive certificates at the end,” said Madzvamuse.
The ZHF boss also said they have invited Kabamba to conduct this course because he is an experienced handball official who is well versed with the sport’s rules and regulations.
“Germain Kabamba is quite an experienced handball official and he was the man behind the successful staging of this year’s IHF Zone Six Under-20 Challenge Trophy tournament that was staged in Johannesburg, South Africa, from March 31 to April 5.
“So, we as the ZHF are quite convinced that the participants will leave this refereeing course armed with the latest international handball refereeing rules.
“This will ensure or enable us to avoid problems and controversial decisions during our national schools and major local tournaments in future,” Madzvamuse said.
In fact, Madzvamuse has, in the past couple of years, been working tirelessly to uplift the general standards of handball in this country with the help of the IHF.
He also revealed that he is currently looking at having an exchange programme with schools in South Africa which will see Zimbabwean and South African schools playing each other regularly.
“In fact, when I was in Johannesburg for the IHF Zone Six Under-20 Challenge Trophy tournament, I discussed this issue with the South African Handball Association and they expressed their interest in engaging us in this schools exchange programme.
“This is likely to see us, the ZHF, helping in sending local handball-playing schools, both at primary and secondary schools level, going to play the sport in South Africa.
“A number of local primary and secondary schools recently approached me asking if we can find them ways to go and tour South Africa for handball matches.
“And now we are in the process of putting everything in place so that we will send our schools to play handball in South Africa and they will also invite the South Africans for reciprocal visits to Zimbabwe,” Madzvamuse said.
The ZHF president said this new initiative will also go a long way in helping them to make more young players play handball in this country.
“I personally believe that we have to invest in young players if Zimbabwe are to one day wake up as one of the powerhouses of handball in the Southern African Region if not in Africa.
“We must put most of our resources in our junior development programme and this must start with us taking the sport to both primary and secondary schools,” Madzvamuse said.
He also revealed that he was now in a good working relationship with his former foe in the ZHF, Agrippa Sora.
“I think we have resolved all our differences with Sora and he has been quite helpful in our endeavour to develop the sport in this country.
“He was very supportive during our national men’s and women’s Under-20 teams preparations for the recently held IHF Zone Six Challenge Trophy tournament in South Africa.
“I think we need unity among all the stakeholders in handball in Zimbabwe and this is the only way we can take the sport to another level in this country,” Madzvamuse said.
He also said the coming on board of prominent local businessmen like Kudakwashe “Mr Hillbrow” Kanengoni of Bindura will help his federation to grow from strength to strength.
“We now have the support of people such as Kudakwashe Kanengoni and local sport equipment companies like Betta Ball Sports and I’m quite convinced that their involvement in the running of handball will go a long way in helping the sport to grow in this country.”