adminCollin Matiza Sports Editor
THE Zimbabwean flag is once again set to fly high at Heden in central Gothenburg, Sweden, next week when the 46th edition of one of the world’s biggest youth handball tournaments – the Partille Cup – gets underway in the Scandinavian country.
The Partille Cup, started by the Swedish handball club IK Sävehof, is the world’s largest annual tournament in handball in terms of number of participants.
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 tournament is set to run from June 29 to July 5 and Zimbabwe will once again be represented by a number of junior boys and girls teams from the Mashonaland West Province and Harare’s Girls High School.
In fact, the Mashonaland West Handball Association will for the fourth year running be sending their junior select side – Mashrhino – to the Partille Cup where they indicated that they will be fielding two teams for boys and girls in the 16 and under age-group. Harare Girls High School are also expected to field two teams at this year’s Partille Cup – one in the 16 and under age-group and one in the 20 and under age-group. Alfos Mhondiwa, the vice-chairperson of the Mashonaland West Handball Association told The Herald yesterday that they were sending a delegation of 22 people, comprising of 18 players and four officials, to this year’s Partille Cup in Gothenburg. The team is scheduled to leave Harare for Sweden on Friday.
“We (the Mashonaland West Handball Association) are sending two teams to this year’s Partille Cup. They will participate in both the boys and girls 16 and under age-group at this tournament.
“In fact, this is going to be the last time that we are going to the Partille Cup to learn because as from next year we intend to go back there as a competitive outfit and try to bring some silverware back home . . . we will be going for the gold medal.
“We have been sending our Mashrhino select sides to the Partille Cup since 2012 and our primary objective was to learn and see how handball is played at this level of competition. So, from next year, it will be a different ball game altogether for us as we want to be among the teams that will be hunting for the top honours at this event,” Mhondiwa said.
At this year’s Partille Cup, the two Mashrhino select sides will be joined by Harare’s Girls High School who, according to the Zimbabwe Handball Federation president Amon Madzvamuse, will be represented by two teams at this competition.
“We have cleared Girls High School from Harare to take part at this year’s Partille Cup in Gothenburg, Sweden, and they will field two teams – one in the girls 16 and under age-group and the other one in the 20 and under age-group. After competing in the Partille Cup, the two teams from Girls High School are expected to proceed to Italy to take part in another big international handball tournament, the Interamnia World Cup, which will run for one week during the second week of July,” Madzvamuse said.
Girls High School have been taking part in the Partille Cup since 2013 and they made their debut appearance at the Interamnia World Cup in Italy last year.
Online Reporter