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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Volleyball Association (ZVA) has promised to stage more beach competitions in Binga following a successful tournament held at the Binga sand beach at the weekend.

The inaugural Binga Beach Volleyball competition was the second national series staged by ZVA.
Birchenough Bridge played host to the first beach volleyball series in September.

Amazon Club of Harare won the women’s competition after beating AM Academy 1 2-0 in the final.

Luveve High School-based Luvac, winners of the first series in Birchenough Bridge, again won gold in Binga after beating AM Academy 1 2-1.

Mxolisi Ndlovu, ZVA president, was impressed with the number of teams that participated as well as the turnout of local spectators, who thronged the Binga sand beach to watch the games.

“We had a 50 percent increase in teams that participated in this series. In Birchenough Bridge we had 10 teams, but this time we had 15. The possibility is very high that we will have more competitions here in Binga, as the community and leaders of Binga district were excited by the tournament.

“The sand here is equally good for the players to practice on. The possibility of us returning here is very high,” said Ndlovu.

He appealed to the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority as well as the Binga Rural District Council to develop the Binga Sand Beach by erecting terraces, bathrooms and shops so that visitors have easy access to essentials.

To access the beach, people have to leave their vehicles at the aerodrome and walk for about 2km down the slope.

Ndlovu said they are targeting corporate sponsorship and partnerships to benefit from sports tourism as per the national goals.

Organisers of the Binga Kasambabezi Marathon assisted ZVA in mobilising locals to support volleyball.

Recent Ncube, a member of Binga Kasambabezi organising committee, said they have decided to spread their wings beyond just hosting a marathon and hope to stage a Binga Beach Soccer Festival.

He said they are in the process of engaging Zifa to get the standard requirements to stage beach soccer games.

“We’re into promoting sports in Binga. Mostly, we used to promote marathons, but we came here to assist ZVA with their beach volleyball.

We understand the value in assisting other sports codes that want to stage competitions in Binga because they are marketing the area. As Binga sportspeople, we acknowledge the support of the Sports and Recreation Commission and other bodies that can help promote the area.

“This is the only beach found in Binga centre. There is another one down the Zambezi at Sijarira, about 40km from the centre. The Sijarira beach is managed by the Forestry Commission,” Ncube said.

He called for a multi-stakeholder approach in developing the Binga Sand Beach.

“With the influx of people in Binga, there is a need to expedite the issue of ablution facilities. A multi-stakeholder approach is the best way to go. The council, sports bodies, Campfire and Zimparks should coexist and work together.

For us to say we have a beach in Binga, it is when we have facilities that make the beach possible for visitors to enjoy.

“We need ablution facilities and shops, so that we make this spot what we want as sportspeople, not what other people want,” Ncube said.

Businesspeople in Binga set up stalls at the beach selling food and beverages.

“As the business community, the volleyball tournament helped boost our sales and we hope more sports will come and stage their tournaments at this beach,” said Pilate Dube, a Binga businessman. – @ZililoR