Zimbabwe hockey team manager Tapiwa Mwakalyelye is confident that the men’s team will prevail in their quest to qualify for the 2012 London Olympic Games in the African hockey qualifiers which begin at the revamped Khumalo Hockey Stadium in Bulawayo tomorrow.
In an interview with NewsDay Sport at the stadium Mwakalyelye said they were optimistic the team would live up to expectations and qualify for the international showcase.
“We have a fairly good side which has a mixture of talented youngsters. There are also experienced players in the team and so we have confidence in the team,” she said. The hosts will kick-start their campaign against Egypt tomorrow, before they play Morocco on Sunday before rounding up their group matches against Ghana on Wednesday. The captain of the team is Rowland Rixon-Fuller Pool A comprises of powerhouses South Africa, Kenya and Uganda. Mwakalyelye complained of inadequate funding.
“Funding has not been really coming through as we needed to travel to play many friendly matches as well as getting practice kits for the team. But we believe that we have a strong team,” she said.
