Gendaball takes to schools

In a drive to further promote gendaball—a relatively new sport in the country— organisers are now taking it to schools.

Gendaball, which was invented by Francis Mwalabu—a Malawian based in Ethiopia—is gaining momentum among communities, especially in Blantyre.

The sport’s local coordinator Hamilton Kadyerawana said so far they have been to Zingwangwa Secondary School and Blantyre Institute of Management (BIM).

“We are taking the game to educational institutions because the sport is proving to be popular among the youths.

“But we also plan to introduce it in companies and we are currently trying to create structures on the ground,” he said.

Kadyerawana also said negotiations with a potential sponsor are at an advanced stage.

“What we are currently doing is that where ever we go, we are forming teams and once we finalise sponsorship discussions, we plan to launch a tournament.”

He further said they are planning to take the game to Lilongwe next month before proceeding to Mzuzu.

At BIM on Wednesday, a number of students took the first step in playing the sport and Kelvin Idana, who was one of the outstanding trialists, described it as an exciting game.

“It’s my first time to play, but I am quite thrilled. The game is more about concentration and being focused,” he said.

Another trialist Jessica Chitsulo said: “It’s a smart game in that there is no physical contact and that’s what I like about it.”

Gendaball is played using a soft ball , slightly bigger than a tennis ball and is thrown directly onto a board comprising 16 holes of varying sizes and point values. The ball is thrown from a playing court comprising 10 throw stations, grouped at four distance levels from the board. n