The Sunday News
Rutendo Nyeve, Sunday News Reporter
UMZINGWANE district has amplified efforts to promote diversity of sporting disciplines in a quest to give different talents equal opportunities to grow.
Football, Netball and volleyball have been identified as some of the traditional sporting disciplines played in rural communities while other disciplines have been constantly overlooked.
To kick start the promotion of other sporting disciplines Umzingwane district recently held an engagement with the Zimbabwe National Boxing and Wrestling control board which exhibited and marketed the disciplines at a sporting tournament held at Dula Ward 11 of Umzingwane in Matabeleland South province this Sunday.
Speaking on the sidelines of the tournament, Umzingwane Member of Parliament Brigadier General (Rtd) Levi Mayihlome expressed the district’s desire to promote diverse disciplines within their communities.
“We want to promote all sports in the district. Today we have boxing and wrestling coming to exhibit and market the sport here in Dula so that they show communities that there are other disciplines besides football. They also want to ensure those who wish to join the discipline come on board.
“We have also said if they want to do tournaments in Umzingwane they are very welcome. We have so many facilities where they conduct these. We will help them to do a promotional match,” said Brig Gen (Rtd) Mayihlome
While reiterating the need to promote other disciplines, he further expressed that the district had already set foot towards this thrust through various developments.
“As Umzingwane we want to embrace every sporting discipline because talents are different. We have already engaged with Zimbabwe Cricket at Esigodini where they will establish the only academy ran by the body in the country. We won that bid.
“We also want to promote athletics and all other disciplines. Falcon College has offered to give the district instructors who will train teachers and coaches while also supporting us with other resources. At Mzingwane High there was once a vibrant boxing team in the yester years and we want to make sure that is revived,” he said.
Zimbabwe National Boxing and Wrestling control board Matabeleland South provincial coordinator, Ms Maculwamahle Nkomo said following their engagement with the district, a lot will be done to ensure the sport is promoted in the district and province.
She said the first port of call would be to organise clubs and teams that will enable them to compete and raise champions from the rural communities.
“We want to appreciate the invite and the warm welcome we got from Umzingwane. We now have somewhere to go to and knock so that we inform of the tournaments that we will be intending to do. We have boxers but however, so far we had Gwanda only but as you can see we are now casketing to other districts in the province.
“Actually, we will keep an ear on all sporting activities being done in the district to ensure we participate and promote the discipline. We look forward to do this till we get world champions from such districts. We want to get as many clubs as possible because it is easier for us to organise tournaments,” said Ms Nkomo.
She said the sport had numerous opportunities as it is multifaceted.
Representing youths in Matabeleland South province, Zanu-PF provincial youth chairperson Moses Langa expressed his gratitude for the development. He called upon the boxing board to reach out to other districts in the province.
“We want to thank our honorable MP for Umzingwane for making it possible for the boxing board to come here. The youths here in the rural area thought such sports would not get here but however, they are now there. It shows that we have a visionary leader who knows what we as young people want. I’m happy about the boxing board and we will request them to go to all the districts around the province. Sport plays a pivotal role in ensuring as young people we meet and talk about issues that affect us and have a way forward,” said Langa.
The sporting tournament teams walked away with numerous prices that included kits, balls, bags and socks among other prices.
