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Sports Reporter
MIGHTY Warriors coach Shadreck Mlauzi has presented his 2016 Olympic Games training programme to the ZIFA and wants a training camp at least once a week ahead of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, next year. Zimbabwe national women’s soccer team qualified for the global showcase in October. But the Mighty Warriors have cut their celebrations and are now focusing on the preparations to make sure that the team will not just add up the numbers in Brazil.

Their coach Mlauzi recently presented his programme to ZIFA technical director Maxwell Takaendesa Jongwe and he wants preparations to start next month. Jongwe said they were looking at the training schedule.

“The coach has brought his roadmap but we are yet to sit and deliberate on it as it requires funding,” said Jongwe. “I perused the first draft he presented and made some adjustments and will now forward it to the chief executive.

“Every month he has proposed a weekly training camp with some of the training weeks culminating into a friendly match against other international teams that are also powerhouses. “The coach also indicated that he would want to eventually take the team to NUST, the university in Bulawayo, where there are experts in sports science as part of high performance training.

“So, instead of us trying to go outside the country, maybe to South Africa, we might as well engage NUST for that to help the players.” Jongwe revealed that the team has been invited by one of the Europe football powerhouses, when it comes to women football, but details will be revealed in due course.

“We are not at liberty to disclose the country but we have an invitation from one of the powerhouses to host us towards the Games and the coach wants to test the team against European opposition as they would be meeting such teams in Rio,” he said.

The former CAPS FC and CAPS United coach said they will also use the Africa Women Cup of Nations qualifiers to prepare for the Summer Games. Zimbabwe have been drawn against Tanzania in the preliminary round and, should they progress, they will meet the winner between Zambia and Namibia.

ZIFA are also looking at having the Unity Day Cup match back in the fold this year after it was shelved off last year. “South Africa have always been our friends. I think they would also want to use that to prepare,” said Jongwe.

The Mighty Warriors are now under Zimbabwe Olympic Committee as part of Team Zimbabwe. Swimming icon Kirsty Coventry, marathon runner Wirimai Juwawo and rowers Micheen Thornycroft and Peter Purcell-Gilpin have also qualified for the Summer Games.