Bukhosi Mangena
Sports Correspondent
THE Hockey Association of Zimbabwe (HAZ) received a timely boost ahead of the Junior African Championships with Simbisa Brands unveiling an undisclosed kit sponsorship deal for the men’s team.The Junior African Championships will be held in the Namibian capital Windhoek from March 18-28. Preparations for the tournament have been in turmoil since HAZ publicly indicated that it does not have the $50,000 required for the men and women’s airfares and other expenses in Namibia.
So desperate is HAZ to send the two squads to the championships that it even engaged the players’ parents to help with travel expenses.
Some players have already indicated that they will pay their own airfares, while those that cannot afford will travel by road.
HAZ vice-president Humphrey Chigwedere said some parents and players had come to the association’s rescue by raising transport fares.
“Some players have volunteered to fly themselves to Namibia and those that can’t afford said they were prepared to go by road,” said Chigwedere.
The Junior African Championships will also double up as qualifiers for the December Junior World Cup for men and women in India and Chile respectively.
Winners and losing finalists of the tournament in Namibia will automatically qualify for the World Cup where they will join 14 other teams from Europe, Asia, Oceania and Pan America.