ZHF hand over handball kit to Sir John Kennedy Primary

Primary School in Kadoma, Mutyavaviri was in Harare yesterday to receive a handball kit, worth US$800, for his school from the Zimbabwe Handball Federation.
The kit, comprising of 16 jerseys and an equal number of shorts and kit bags, was handed to Mutyavaviri by the ZHF president, Amon Madzvamuse, at a function held at Girls High School in Harare.
At the same function, Madzvamuse also unveiled the names of 15 local handball officials who are expected to attend an Olympic Development Programme for referees and coaches in Gothenburg, Sweden, later this month.
Madzvamuse said they decided to give the kit, which was donated by a local sports shop, In Sport, to Mutyavaviri’s school as part of their efforts to spread the sport of handball to all the 10 provinces of this country.
“As you know, Sir John Kennedy Primary School is based in Kadoma, which is in the Mashonaland West Province, and this year we have decided to donate a kit to this school as part of our efforts, not only of spreading the sport in all the four corners of this country, but to give it a boost at grassroots level.
“We want to take the sport to the kids, especially those at primary and secondary school level and we will continue to do so until we get the required results we are aiming at, that is to increase the numbers of handball-playing players at both junior and senior level,” Madzvamuse said. In response, Mutyavaviri, who was once described by the legendary soccer star George “Mastermind” Shaya as one of his most toughest opponents during his (Shaya’s) playing days in the 1970s, welcomed the kit donation as a wonderful gesture which will go a long way in popularising the sport of handball, not only in Kadoma but in the Mashonaland West Province in general.
“I’m really delighted to get this kit that was donated by In Sport from you (ZHF) and we want Sir John Kennedy Primary School to be the first school in Mashonaland West to a have a School of Excellency in handball.
“We are already playing the sport at our school and hopefully we will have more teams playing handball in Mashonaland West . . . this gesture is extremely wonderful to us,” said the 65-year-old Mutyavaviri, who used to play as leftback for the now-defunct Kadoma-based football club Rio Tinto in the 1970s.
Meanwhile, Madzvamuse said the ZHF will this month send an Under-16 team of boys and girls to Gothenburg, Sweden, for the Partille Cup.
The Partille Cup is the biggest youth international handball tournament in the world with about 1 050 teams and 20 000 players and officials from more than 50 countries taking part.
This year’s event will take place from July 2 to 7 in Gothenburg and the ZHF were recently invited by the event’s organisers to send a boys and girls Under-16 team to the tournament.
The team of 28 players, who will be drawn from the country’s 10 provinces, will be accompanied to Sweden by about 15 officials, including local coaches and referees, who will be led by the ZHF secretary-general Alphios Magiya.
The Partille Cup is also a tournament for teams that enjoy challenges, both on and off the court. It is a place where people from around the world can develop their handball skills, meet and spend some time together and make lifelong friendships.
For many young handball-playing nations like Zimbabwe, the tournament is the best way of making own progress as they get the education, the feeling and the rhythm of their beloved sport.
Where else can you find 3 000 matches and 160 referees in one place?   
Before attending the Partille Cup, the Zimbabwean handball officials will first take part in an Olympic Development Programme for referees and coaches in Gothenburg from June 24 to July 4. The ZHF president Madzvamuse will be part of these officials who also include his deputy Simbiso Mupepereki and Ndakazivei Mwedzi, who will travel to Sweden as the team manager.
The other Zimbabwean handball officials who are expected to leave for Sweden on June 24 are Edison Chiroodza, Petros Nyathi, Leonard Clemence, Shepherd Vurayayi, Alfos Mhondiwa, Norman Mkondwa, Precious Nhete, Master Shumba, Gabriel Mhuma, Josiah Sithole and Farayi Gwisai.