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Ellina Mhlanga
Senior Sports Reporter
WITH just over a month left before the International Handball Federation Continental Phase come to life, Under-20 men’s team coach Tafadzwa Madure believes there is a need to utilise every opportunity they get towards their build-up.
The junior side is stepping up preparations for the tournament scheduled for November 1 to 7 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Zimbabwe Handball Federation Secretary General Edson Chirowodza said they are expecting to have the team re-group at Prince Edward School in Harare tomorrow for their periodic camp.
The camp will run until Saturday.
They last met in August.
Madure said they had hoped to meet after every two weeks but their plans were affected because of financial constraints.
And with the tournament drawing closer they are looking at polishing up in various areas.
“We had previously said we would have a camp after every two weeks but since we have been on a break for a month, we gave them individual programmes to work with and we have been having individual follow-ups to see if they are following the programme we gave them.
“We are going to conduct a fitness test on the day of arrival to assess if they were following the programme as we had told them.”
The technical team is also looking at working on the mental side with their athletes to ensure they are ready and go into the competition with an idea of what to expect.
“We are looking forward to helping the young players in terms of psychological preparedness. The competition is different from Zone VI.
“I think we shall have meetings to share on the experience and what to expect there…We need to go there mentally fit and prepared,” said Madure.
Madure was the assistant coach to the previous team that participated in the Continental Phase last year.
Zimbabwe found the going tough and lost all their matches during the competition. As they prepare for this year’s edition the technical team had hoped for better preparations.
But there have been some drawbacks due to limited resources.
Chirowodza said they are running around to ensure the team is ready for the competition.
“There is a potential sponsor who wants to support the team in terms of preparation and competition. So that’s our hope.
“Otherwise, the boys are still working with their programmes, sending in videos to the technical team.
“So, in terms of their fitness, it’s something they are already working on. As they come into camp this month the technical team will conduct a fitness test.
“October, we have a longer camp. We are looking forward to having them around mid-October until departure,” said Chirowodza.
The Continental event will feature both Under-20 and Under-18 teams. Zimbabwe qualified for the Under-20 when beating Zambia in the final of the Zone VI tournament.
Other countries that have confirmed participation at the event include Ghana, Madagascar, Guinea, Congo, Nigeria, Rwanda, Zambia, and Ethiopia.
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