The Sunday News
By Lulu Brenda Harris
1 September 2012
ZIMBABWE will be hosting the first round tournament of the world hockey league in 2014 if it manages to renovate one of the preferred stadiums to the required international standard.
The stadium in question is Magamba Hockey Stadium in Harare where the facilities are an eyesore and its renovations have been touted as a precondition for the country to host the high profile event.
The International Hockey Federation wants Magamba to be upgraded in a manner that matches Khumalo Hockey Stadium in Bulawayo and Government through the Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture has already started the renovation process.
To kick-start the renovation process, Minister of  Education, Sport, Arts and Culture David Coltart who confirmed the pre-condition to the invitation has initiated a process to make sure the costs of rehabilitation are included in the Government’s 2013 budget.
He said the 2013 budget would be passed by Parliament in mid December and that is when he will be in a position to advise whether Zimbabwe can accept the invitation to play host. The African Hockey Federation (AfHF) also wrote a letter to Senator Coltart telling him of its support to the Hockey Association of Zimbabwe’s efforts to host the first round of the world hockey tournament given they follow the required steps.
AfHF also said it has “motivated upon the International Hockey Federation the need and desirability of holding this tournament in Harare an important stronghold of hockey in Zimbabweâ€.
The hockey tournament will have both men’s and women’s competitions and it is envisaged that six competing nations including Zimbabwe will battle each other in men’s and women’s competitions.
The tournament will also qualify teams for the next stage of the world hockey league, a global competition, which itself will be a competition that qualifies teams for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.