Exciting handball tourney kicks off today

Patience Muchemwa

Zim Now Reporter

The City Sports Centre in Harare is from today set to host a thrilling handball tournament that will last until June 1, 2024.

Eight men’s and eight women’s teams qualified for the tournament that also includes two wildcard teams in each division.

The competition promises to be fierce.

In an interview with Zim Now, Secretary-general of the Harare City Handball Club, who is also chairperson of Sunshine City Handball Championships, Jabulani Mafanya said they are expecting higher levels of competition since this is the second edition of the tournament.

“Since this is the second edition of the Sunshine City Handball Championship, we actually expect very high levels of competition, and now teams understand. They come better prepared so, we are going to witness higher levels of competition and also better preparations and better administration on the championship organising committee side. In short, we are expecting exciting times.”

The best teams from across the country, including Harare City, Manyame Falcons, Golden Tigers, and more, will face off on the court for the coveted gold, silver, and bronze medals, as well as shields that will symbolise their hard-earned victories.

“The champions will walk away with shields, gold medals, and prize money. The runners-up will walk away with silver medals and prize money, then the third team will walk away with bronze medals and prize money for both men and women teams,” added Mafanya.

There are also prices for individuals who are the goalkeepers of the tournament, top goal scorer, and the most valuable player for both categories.

The tournament is being sponsored by JB Electronics.

Harare City HC coach, Jeffrey Mavhunga is hoping to see an improvement on the tournament since it now has a sponsor.

“We are expecting good competition, a big turnout. Also, the competition is better than the first edition in terms of sponsorship.”

The inaugural Sunshine City Handball Championships, held in 2023, saw Harare City’s men’s team and Manyame Sparrow’s women’s team take home the top prize.

These two teams made history as the first champions of the Sunshine City Handball Championships, setting the bar high for future competitions.