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Senior Sports Reporter
TWO Kenyan and one Tanzanian women’s clubs are expected to touch down at the Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport today ahead of the launch of the Africa Cup of Club Champions (ACCC) which will be held at Khumalo hockey Stadium tomorrow evening.

The three clubs will bring to seven the number of foreign clubs at the championships following the arrival of four Egyptian clubs on Tuesday. Zimbabwe will be represented by three clubs, Hippo Valley and Eradicators (men) and Bulawayo Athletic Club (women).

“We should be having Kenya and Tanzania arriving tomorrow while Nigeria is expected this evening (yesterday). Zimbabwean representatives from outside Bulawayo are already here,” said the tournament’s public relations manager Loveness Chirwa.

Kenya will be represented by Orange and Strathmore clubs while Twende will be representing Tanzania.

Six countries Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, Malawi, Tanzania and Zimbabwe will slug it out in the competition that will run from Saturday to November 30 and has largely been dominated by Egyptian clubs.

Nigeria will be represented by two clubs Police Machines (men) and Heartlands (women); Ghana will have five clubs, GRA and Ghana Police (men and women) and Trustees (men) while two clubs Genetrix (men and women) will represent Malawi.

The tournament was initially set to be held in Nigeria but countries were reluctant to go there due to the outbreak of Ebola, leading to the Africa Hockey Federation requesting Zimbabwe, through the Hockey Association of Zimbabwe to host the tournament again.

Zimbabwe were the 2012 hosts that saw Sharkia from Egypt retaining the championship title in the men’s category with Telkom Ladies of Kenya winning the women’s version.

Meanwhile, representatives from Africa Hockey Federation, Hockey Association of Zimbabwe and the local organising committee will attend the Games’ launch tomorrow evening.