ZAMBIA’S recent success in women’s football has earned the country continental recognition, with the World Cup-bound Copper Queens nominated for the 2023 African Union Sports Council Region 5 Regional Annual Sport Awards (RASA).
Women’s football has been punching above its weight lately, with the most recent successes in the game being the national team’s bronze medal at the Africa Cup and subsequent qualification to the World Cup.
Other successes include the team’s victory in the COSAFA title in September last year.
The team has since been pitted in the “Team of the Year” pool against Malawi’s Scorchers and the formidable Botswana 4×400 relay team.
The awards, now in their fifth year, are scheduled to take place in Eswatini on Saturday, 24 June 2023.
Zambia’s representation does not end with the Copper Queens as a number of other Zambian sports figures have also been nominated for awards.
ZNBC Sports reporter Memory Malisawa will battle it out for the Journalist of the Year award against Peter Kanjere of Malawi and South Africa’s Hloni Mtimkulu.
For the Junior Sports Person of the Year, swimmer Jade Phiri has been pitted against Christine Mboma of Namibia and Eswatini’s Heyley Hoy in the junior sports personality of the year category.
Ivy Chanda, a remarkable footballer with a disability, has made her mark. Proving that talent knows no bounds, she has been nominated for the Sportswoman of the Year with Disability award, while William Chinzewe, the draughts champion, has been nominated for the Junior Male Sportsperson of the Year.
