Zim school charms grandmaster

WORLD Taekwondo grandmaster Choi Hong Hi has rubber-stamped the bid by a Harare school to participate at the annual Africa Games having been impressed by their intact record.

CLC Group of Schools will now become the first lower learning institution from this country to take part in the elite games whose next edition is scheduled for Tanzania in October this year. Not only did Chong Hi seconded the school to contest in the continental fiesta but named them the centre of excellence in the game for the country.

The school, which for the past five years has participated in the Durban invitational tournament in South Africa, has already upped its preparations ahead of the Africa Games.

Sports director with the school Victor Muzadzi said they are looking forward to do well at their maiden appearance in the Africa Games.

“As a school which puts emphasis on sport development, we saw it fit to introduce such codes as taekwondo which are often put in the peripheries at grassroots level.

“We have done quite well in international tournaments with athletes such as Shaun Madzima who is now plying his trade in South Africa helping put us on the map.

“So when the Taekwondo grandmaster Chong Hi visited Zimbabwe for the first time, he came through to see what we are doing as he had heard about us in South Africa.

“He was impressed by what he so and instantly backed our bid to compete in the Africa games.

“We are already preparing to go to Tanzania for the games. We are confident of getting some medals there,” he said.

The school last week held its intra competitions in taekwondo with several other schools across the country in attendance.

After the Africa Games, CLC will head to Durban where they aim to better their second place they attained last year.

The likes of 13-year old Faizaan Shariff and Hussain Khan who won gold medals in Durban last year are expected to lead the school’s charge at the Africa Games.