START OLYMPICS PREPS EARLY - WADA

FO R M E R Chipolopolo coach Wedson Nyirenda says preparations for this year’s Olympic Games should start now for Zambia to do better in Japan.

Nyirenda said the team shouldn’t go to sleep after securing qualification for the Olympics set to kick off on July 24 in Tokyo, Japan.

Wada noted that the Copper

Queens will meet some of the best organised women’s teams in the world hence the need for the girls to prepare adequately for the games in Japan.

He said Zambia has a good squad but the team needs to play a lot of friendly games before the tournament.

“We have a good team but we need to work hard and work starts now because the girls need a lot of friendlies before they go to the actual tournament.

“We should not sleep because it is not an easy tournament. The girls are going to meet the giants and we just have to be ready for anything and looking at our players we need a lot of hard work to do well at the

Olympics,” Nyirenda said.

Nyirenda hailed FAZ for facilitating the inaugural FAZ Womens National Championship which saw Green Buffaloes emerging champions after overwhelming Queens Academy 9-0 on Sunday.

“The Olympic Games are in July and I think we are late but I saw good football during the women’s national championship which is part of the preparations but I would have loved to see more of the technical bench of the team watching the games because the job of football never ends,” he said.

Zambia qualified for the 2020 Women's Olympic Games billed for Tokyo after clinching the sole automatic ticket from Africa.

Zambia defeated Cameroon 2-1 in their second leg of the final round encounter of the African Women's Olympic qualifiers to book their spot on away goals after a 4-4 aggregate draw.

Zambia also became the fifth African nation to qualify for the Summer Women's Olympics after Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, South Africa and Zimbabwe.