Ladies golf braces for return

ZIMBABWE Ladies Golf Union (ZLGU) is bracing for a return to competitive action following the official unveiling of the National Aids Council (NAC)-sponsored ZLGU Open Strokeplay Championship at Harare Royal Golf Club yesterday.

The tourney will be held on August 28 and 29 at Royal Harare Golf Club.

This follows the relaxation of the COVID-19 restrictions by the government which saw many sectors resuming operations with local soccer teams already competing for the Chibuku Super Cup.

ZLGU president Anne Nduku said preparations for the tournament would start from today onwards so as to ensure its success.

“Preparations for the upcoming tourney will be made available in due course. We will communicate with girls and also those who are outside the country, with all screening regulations properly observed,’’ she said.

The event, which was graced by the ZLGU executive, NAC chief executive officer Bernard Madzima and other delegates saw the official unveiling of US$15 000 for the prestigious golf tournament.

‘’I want to commend this initiative by NAC to use sport as a platform to raise awareness and promote uptake of health services. We, therefore, need such initiatives not just for golf but all sports,” Nduku said.

“Given the type of sport, the scope of health interventions to be offered could be expanded to include voluntary medical male circumcision, STI screening and treatment, gender-based violence awareness services, blood pressure and diabetes screening and treatment in addition to HIV testing and cancer screening,” he added.

The NAC boss said they chose golf since it’s regarded as an elite sport in the country and it lacks sponsorship as compared to soccer which has a lot of sponsors. Also, it is a way of intertwining sport with health services.

‘’We would also like to see the ladies participating in this tournament and turn it into a platform where they can engage on medical issues,’’ Madzima said.