adminGeophrey Sifani Sports Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Tug of War Federation (ZITWF) Southern Region League is appealing for sponsors for Bulawayo-based women’s teams ahead of the start of the season next year.
Tug of war is a contest in which two teams show their collective strength by pulling at opposite ends of a rope until one drags the other over a central line.
The federation’s Southern Region League spokesperson Samkeliso Dladla said tug of war was not only some form of entertainment staged during the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) week as most people are used to, but a sport with a running league.
“We’ve been sidelined by the corporate world because they only see the game during the ZITF week and think it’s for entertainment purposes only, but what most people don’t know is that that week only marks the beginning of our league which runs throughout the year.
“We’re hoping the sport grows in the city and that more women participate in our competitions,” said Dladla.
“Tug of war is a good sport that can be used to teach communication and respect for one another.
“Just like soccer and other sports, we want to see more women participating in tug of war. It has nothing to do with being strong, but team work.
“It is a true non-contact competitive sport suitable for a wide range of abilities. It’s fully inclusive and suitable for individuals that lack the coordination and technical skills required in other sports, such as football.”
She said they have been battling to secure sponsorship for their competitions and other programmes because most potential sponsors never knew that there was a functional tug of war league.
“We’re trying to promote this sport in Bulawayo by encouraging the formation of more tug of war clubs to compete in our leagues.
“The more players we have, the more competitive the league will be and the higher our chances of taking part in international competitions.
“That’s what we are working on for 2016 and we will release our calendar of events soon,” Dladla said
Online Reporter