adminBrighton Zhawi
Zimbabwe Aquatic Union vice-president Rob Hammond expects an improvement from the country’s age group teams when they take to the pool in South Africa in December. The country intends to send 11 age group teams to the South Africa inter-provincial waterpolo competition in Durban and Hammond is impressed with what he has seen in the youngsters so far.Selection of the teams began at a tournament held at the Christian Brothers College recently and will continue over the next few weeks, the ZAU vice-president disclosed.
“We have already selected teams for the boys U14, U15, U17 and U19. For the girls we have also selected teams for the U17 and U19 after a tournament played at CBC last week. “I think this year our chances are pretty good, we have high chances in the U15 girls, they did well last year winning us a silver medal. We are however, hoping more teams will win medals too this year,” said Hammond. Hammond reckons that if more schools take up waterpolo, Zimbabwe will become a force to reckon with in the not-so-distant future.
“The sport is up and coming,” he said. “But we have struggled, for example, in the boys age groups; if you look at it we have nine schools that are active in waterpolo in Zimbabwe which is very different from South Africa.
“There is need to spread the game and widen the selection base. There is no doubt about it, we have the talent to become a real Waterpolo powerhouse but that talent needs to be identified and nurtured.”
The Sports and Recreation Ministry has been championing the spread of sporting codes such as waterpolo, hockey and bowls – that were once viewed as elitist – to all corners of Zimbabwe. Minister Makhosini Hlongwane has been meeting sports governing bodies, challenging them to ensure that their sporting codes “cascade down to the village level”.
Online Reporter