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Ellina Mhlanga Sports Reporter
CESTOBALL Association of Zimbabwe have welcomed the invite to participate in an international  referees and coaching refresher online course to be held on Thursday, saying it will go a long way in improving their technical expertise.

Zimbabwe received an invite from the Asian Cestoball Federation to take part in the course and each nation is expected to provide five participants.

Being a relatively new sport in the country, Cestoball Association of Zimbabwe president, Amon Madzvamuse, said the course came at the right time.

“This is a very important workshop for us. We have just launched cestoball in Zimbabwe but our technical officials haven’t had enough opportunity to be exposed to the international world in as far as the rules and regulations and officiating of the game is concerned.

“So this is a platform they are going to learn more and again they are going to interact with other technical officials, the gurus of cestoball in the whole world as we are also going to be in the data base of the International Cestoball Federation, so as Zimbabwe we have made a mark.

“This is a positive development as far as my leadership is concerned because I am happy that I am empowering those that are under me and we are making a mark as team Zimbabwe” said Madzvamuse, who is the former president of the Zimbabwe Handball Federation.

The five participants to take part in the course are vice-president Annahmaria Jirimwe, Jeaner Dhlamine, Lyno Tsiga, Lydia Chitambo and Ziviso Mutambisi.

“We have chosen the head coach for our girls’ national team and we have chosen the coach from our boys’ team, that’s the national team and that makes them two.

“We have chosen our vice-president. In any association the vice-president has to be technical, so we have chosen the vice-president and Lydia Chitambo who is with our referees’ commission, she is participating.

“We have chosen the fifth guy who is going to partner Lydia Chitambo. As referees they have to come in pairs. So we have two coaches, two referees and one from the executive, who happens to be the vice-president,” said Madzvamuse.

Madzvamuse said the course is going to complement the efforts that were being made by the coaches with regards to the national team players development.

“It has come as an incentive to our coaches as they have been giving online programmes, online training to the national team players that we had selected before the Covid-19 outbreak.

“They have been interacting, the group has been so active… So, our players they have been very much active, our coaches have been very much active hence this international exposure, so we are very much optimistic,” said Madzvamuse.

The association is looking at establishing national junior and senior leagues in the future.

Cestoball is a team sport that is very similar to that of netball, which originated in Argentina in the late 19th century. The sport is very popular in Argentina and is mostly played by women at a school level.

The sport is played both indoors and outdoors, and it is very common to see games being played on basketball courts. Two standalone net posts with baskets are stationed on the courts within the playing area. Players are free to move behind the net posts. The ball used is similar to that of a handball.

A match is played between two 6-player teams in two 20-minute periods. Two players each must always be present in both the backcourt and the frontcourt at all times failing which results in a penalty.

The objective of the sport is to score as many goals as possible by shooting the ball through the hoop. Players are not allowed to run with the ball. Balls have to be passed to move it up field. Goals can be scored by shooting the ball from anywhere in the field.

A field goal, which is shot during regular play is awarded two points, and free throws carry one point. The team with the most points at the end of the game is the winner.