THE Hockey Association of Zimbabwe (HAZ) will be taking advantage of International Hockey Federation chief executive officer Kelly Fairweather’s private visit next week to table the country’s challenges in the sport.
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Fairweather is in holiday in South Africa and will make stopover in Zimbabwe where he will meet with the HAZ executive committee.
HAZ vice-president Humphrey Chigwedere confirmed Fairweather’s visit.
“We are hoping for the best in 2015 and we might get another high-profile hockey tournament. To start the New Year, we have an important delegate visiting our country. On January 5-6 we are receiving the Federation of International Hockey chief executive officer Kelly Fairweather who will be in South Africa on holiday,” Chigwedere said.
“He has decided to take the opportunity to visit Zimbabwe to meet the new HAZ executive, appreciate our development efforts and our challenges as an association among other things.”
Zimbabwe hosted the African Cup of Club Champions (ACCC) at Kumalo Hockey Stadium in Bulawayo last month, with clubs from Egypt, Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, Malawi and Tanzania taking part.
It was the second time that Bulawayo was hosting the same tournament after December 2012.
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“Although it is a private visit, we want to talk to him about assistance in terms of developing hockey in the country. We also want to restart the talks on the grant that was offered some 10 years ago to rehabilitate Magamba Hockey Stadium,” Chigwedere added.
“We have had challenges that include lack of facilities of international standards which has slowed our growth and exposure. We are hoping that he (Fairweather) would be able to assist.”
Magamba Hockey Stadium in Harare was constructed for the sixth All-Africa Games hosted by Zimbabwe in 1995 and after that the facility has been derelict.
Like Kumalo, Magamba was handed over to Sports and Recreation Commission by the Public Works ministry after construction, with Khumalo getting a facelift to host the ACCC.
