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Collin Matiza Sports Editor
ZIMBABWE is among five African countries that have so far registered to take part in one of the biggest handball tournaments in the world — the Partille Cup — in Gothenburg, Sweden, later this year.
The Partille Cup, started by Swedish handball club IK Sävehof, is, in fact, the world’s largest annual tournament in handball.
The tournament is played every year during one week in July by young people in the ages between 10 and 21 years old.
This year’s Partille Cup is set to run from June 30 to July 5 and Zimbabwe will be joined at this annual event by Gambia, Nigeria, Zambia and Uganda who have also registered from Africa, according to one of the event’s organisers, Kenneth Fagbe.
They are likely to be joined by continental powerhouse Nigeria, who won the boys Under-12 title at the same tournament last year, and Kenya.
Rima HC from Sokoto State in Nigeria won the boys Under-12 category at last year’s Partille Cup, the largest youth handball tournament in the world where over 44 countries across the world participated. Rima HC met El- Shams SC from Egypt in the final and won with a landslide margin of 19-8.
The 2013 tournament was the 44th edition of the game that unites countries from all over the world, with over 20 000 participants and 1 120 teams that participated.
In the 2013 Partille Cup, Nigeria were the only country from Africa that won gold. Other African countries that participated were Egypt, Kenya and Zimbabwe.
And Alphios Magiya, the secretary-general of the Zimbabwe Handball Federation, said yesterday that they have already identified the teams that will represent Zimbabwe at this year’s Partille Cup in Sweden.
“For this year’s Partille Cup, we are likely to have eight teams from different provinces that will participate in different age-groups. From Mashonaland East, we will have two select sides that will take part in the boys and girls’ 15 years and under section.
“Harare’s Girls High School will be sending two teams that will carry the country’s flag in the Under-14 and Under-16 age-groups while Howard High School from Chiweshe in Mashonaland Central will have a boys Under-18 team there.
“Mufakose 4 High School from Harare are also looking at sending a girls Under-18 team to this year’s Partille Cup where we will also have our boys and girls Under-16 national teams who will be joined in Sweden by Mashrhino from Mashonaland West who will have three select teams — two for the boys and girls 11 years and under age-group and one for the 12 years and under age-group,” Magiya said.
The ZHF boss said the boys and girls national Under-16 teams have already stepped up their preparations for this year’s Partille Cup by holding some “periodic training camps” in Kwekwe and in Harare.
“This last weekend we had 37 girls who trained under our (women’s) national team coaches Cleopatra Mareverwa, Thembani Nkala and Clemence Tauro at Girls High School in Harare while the boys team trained at Kwekwe High School under Farayi Gwisayi and Edson Chiroodza. “So, I can safely say that all is well on course for Zimbabwe’s participation at this year’s Partille Cup in Sweden in July,” Magiya said.
In addition to this, the ZHF will enlist the services of a top Swedish handball coach, Henrick Signell, who is expected to arrive in Zimbabwe towards the end of May to work with some of the teams that will take part in this year’s Partille Cup.
Signell will be accompanied to Zimbabwe by another top Swedish coach Elvir Rakovic. Rakovic (34) is a former triple jumper (the second best jumper in Sweden) and has worked with that country’s handball team during the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
Magiya said apart from working with some of the teams that will take part in this year’s Partille Cup, Signell and Rakovic will conduct an International Level Three coaching course for their provincial coaches. “The provincial coaches will be split into two groups of four men and an equal number of women.
And among these participants, three men and women will take part in the coaching course while one man and woman will be trained as physical fitness coaches.
“So, we’ve tasked our provincial chairpersons to identify qualified coaches for these courses and we’ve indicated to them that for men, holders of Level Two coaching certificates are eligible to attend these courses while for women, we’ve waivered this requirement,” Magiya said.
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