Sport in Zimbabwe facts for kids
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Sport in Zimbabwe has a long and interesting history. Many famous athletes have come from this country. The most popular sport is football. Other sports like rugby union, cricket, tennis, golf, and netball are also well-liked. Field hockey is played a lot too.
Zimbabwe has done very well in sports on the world stage. They have had international success in cricket, tennis, rugby union, field hockey, and swimming. This is partly because Zimbabwe has a strong history of sports and good schools. Also, its nice climate makes it easy to play outside.
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Cricket
Cricket is the second most popular sport in Zimbabwe, right after football. Zimbabwe has a national cricket team that plays in the top international matches called Test cricket. They became famous when they beat the strong Australian national cricket team in 1983.
This big win helped Zimbabwe get "test status" in 1992. They had more international success in the early 2000s. Andy Flower, a Zimbabwean player, was even ranked as the best batsman in the world back then. The team has been working hard to improve recently.
Field Hockey
Field hockey has a lot of players in Zimbabwe, second only to football. Many boys and girls play it in schools. Zimbabwe has three special fields for hockey. Two are in Bulawayo and one is in Harare.
The Zimbabwe women's national field hockey team won a gold medal at the first Olympic hockey tournament in Moscow in 1980. This was a huge achievement! Recently, it was harder for them to play in international games. But now, with better fields like the Khumalo Hockey Stadium, they can compete more often.
Football
The Zimbabwe national football team is called The Warriors. They have played in the African Cup of Nations twice, in 2004 and 2006.
The Zimbabwe women's national football team is known as the Mighty Warriors. They made it to the 2016 Olympic football tournament, which was very exciting!
The Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League is the top professional football league in Zimbabwe. There are 16 teams that play in this league. FC Platinum was the champion in 2018. Dynamos F.C. has won the most league titles. They have a big rivalry with Highlanders FC.
Zimbabwe has several main stadiums for football. The biggest one is the National Sports Stadium.
Some famous Zimbabwean footballers include Benjamin "Benjani" Mwaruwari, who played as a striker. Peter Ndlovu also played for many top English clubs for twelve seasons. Another well-known player is Bruce Grobbelaar, a goalkeeper, who played for Liverpool F.C. for many years.
Rugby Union
Rugby union is an important sport in Zimbabwe. It has been played there since the late 1800s. The Zimbabwe national rugby union team has played in the Rugby World Cup twice.
Zimbabwe has also produced many talented rugby players. Some of the best players often go to countries like the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Australia. This is because there are more chances to play professionally and earn higher salaries there.
Golf
Zimbabwe has a long history in golf. Famous golfers like Nick Price, Brendon de Jonge, Mark McNulty, and Tony Johnstone come from Zimbabwe.
There are many golf courses for the country's population. Zimbabwean golfers often compete on the Sunshine Tour, where they have a friendly rivalry with South Africa. Many top golfers from Zimbabwe then move on to play in bigger tournaments in Europe and the PGA Tour.
Tennis
Zimbabwe has also competed in major tennis tournaments like Wimbledon and the Davis Cup. The Black Family is very famous in Zimbabwean tennis. This family includes Wayne Black, Byron Black, and Cara Black. Zimbabwean tennis players have also played in most of the Olympic Games since 1980.
Olympics and Other Games
Zimbabwe has won eight Olympic medals. One was a team medal in field hockey at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. The other seven medals were won by the amazing swimmer Kirsty Coventry. She won three medals at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and four at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Kirsty won two gold medals, four silver, and one bronze.
Zimbabwe has also done well in swimming at the Commonwealth Games and All-Africa Games. Kirsty Coventry won 11 gold medals in these different competitions. Zimbabwe was proud to host the 1995 All-Africa Games.
In golf, Zimbabwe reached the final of the Dunhill Cup in 1995. They played a close game but just lost to Scotland.
There is even a professional snowboarder from Zimbabwe named Michael Lewer. He was born in Bulawayo and later moved to Scotland and Canada to pursue his snowboarding career.
Images for kids
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Zimbabwe Sevens Rugby Team at the 2009 Hong Kong Sevens
