By GRACE CHAILE –

ZAMBIA Federation of University and College Sport (ZAFUCS) president, Mwape Nshimbi is confident local players will perform well in the 17th Confederation of University and College Sports Association (CUCSA) Zone Six starting on Monday in Lusaka.

Nshimbi said in an interview yesterday that it was not only about the successful hosting of the event but the nation leaving a mark through winning of medals during the CUCSA Games which would run up to August 22.

He said ZAFUCS ensured the coaches with necessary technical skills were attached to various sports disciplines to prepare the athletes adequately.

Nshimbi, however, cautioned the players against being over-confident since they were playing at home but urged them to take every game seriously.

Netball team manager Jephan Yumbe said the players had trained hard and were ready for the tournament.

Yumbe said he was aware that countries like Malawi had players who were even playing in the Premier league, but was confident that Zambia would withstand the pressure.

“Countries like Malawi and Botswana are tough opponents with experienced players but that will not derail us. I have confidence the team will put on a good show and won’t leave anything to chance. We won’t take the home advantage into account but play the best and beat the best,” he said.

Mozambique arrived yesterday while South Africa, Swaziland, Lesotho, Namibia, Angola, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Botswana are expected in the country today.

The 10 countries will compete in basketball, football, chess,volleyball, lawn tennis, table tennis, athletics and netball.