Story by Lawrence Trusida
ZIMBABWE has stepped up preparations for the 2024 African Hockey Road to Paris qualifiers set for Pretoria, South Africa from the 29th of October to the 5th of November.
Zimbabwe will be represented by men and women’s teams at the African qualifiers which get underway at the end of next month at the University of Pretoria.
The top team in each category will qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games, but the runners-up in the men’s section will have another chance to make it to Paris in the final qualification tournament set for next year.
The two teams are conducting training sessions during weekends.
“We have intensified preparations for the Olympic qualifiers, the two teams are preparing over the weekends due to other commitments. The ladies’ team is made up of the bulk of the under-21 team that will be going to the World Cup so, the coaches have had to create a workaround. While some of the girls are in university, everything is in full swing now,” said Hockey Association of Zimbabwe secretary general, Sarah Bennett.
The teams were selected at a tournament held in August that also saw neighbours, Zambia participating.
