Chronicle Editor
Leonard Ncube,
THE 15th World Military Golf Championships, organised by the International Military Sports Council (CISM), get underway in Victoria Falls today with defence forces from 16 countries across the globe, including Zimbabwe expected to participate.
The Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) is playing host to the tournament that will run until Friday at the Elephant Hills Gold Course.
Twenty countries had initially showed interest in the tournament before the United States, Ireland and Nigeria pulled out on the last minute.
CISM is an international sports association established in 1948 and headquartered in Brussels with the aim of promoting sporting activities and physical education between defence forces as a means to foster world peace under its motto : “Friendship through sports.”
It has 140 world armies, to which the ZDF is a member of, and participates at the CISM world military games and championships.
Zimbabwe won the bid to host the 2024 World Military Golf Championships in Victoria Falls has been preparing for the week-long tourney with the team getting into camp a week ago.
Tournament chief liaison officer and ZDF golf team captain Colonel Fabion Chitungo said teams arrived weekend to compete on the sporting field as opposed to the traditional battlefield to fight wars.
This is the 5th time ZDF is participating at the championships.
Some of the countries are Canada, France, Germany, Netherlands, Denmark, Estonia, Kazakstan, South Africa, Kenya and Zimbabwe while Botswana, Uganda, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, Namibia and Zambia.
“So we have 16 countries coming to participate and some have started arriving. Everything is now set, the team is now in camp and we expect to give a good game. We have had a beautiful opportunity to prepare during our camp in Victoria Falls as we have had tournaments with different sides. We played the Elephant Hills Chairman’s Cup and CEO Africa Routhtable Tournament which has been an opportunity for the team to train and listen to other golfers,” he said.
He said each team is expected to unleash six male and three female players.
The teams will play off scratch with no handicap so that every player starts at an equal advantage to avoid unfair advantage and a gross score will be recorded on a daily basis until the final day.
Actual competition will start on Tuesday while this Monday is official practice day until 3pm when Commander Zimbabwe Defence Forces General Phillip Valerio Sibanda will officiate at the welcome opening ceremony and flag hosting.
Prize giving will be on Friday and to walk away with prizes will be individual winners, best male and female teams and best country.
The winning team will enjoy a Flight of Angels experience, a first time in the history of the championships.
He said there has been a significant increase in female participants with 30 expected to take part.
Zimbabwe was scheduled to host in 2020 after China but because of Covid-19 couldn’t.
The US hosted the previous tournament where 16 countries participated.
Col Chitungo thanked partners and sponsors for kind and cash donations. ZDF is working together with Zimbabwe Golfers Association on the tournament.
He said an experienced team from ZGA has been coaching the team.
The tournament is an opportunity to promote sports tourism especially as Government is also pursuing a renewed agenda of promoting new tourism products among them sports, religious, cultural and culinary tourism.
The tournament fosters peace, friendship and solidarity among nations as solders who may have met on the battlefield compete on the sports playing field as it based on three pillars of sport, education and solidarity.
CISM is the second largest multi-discipline sports organisation after the International Olympics Committee, holding more than 20 competitions annually.
-@ncubeleon
Online Reporter