As the sun dawned on Thursday, Zambia's spirited hockey teams departed from their familiar OYDC Zambia grounds, embarking on a voyage to Harare, Zimbabwe. Their destination: an eagerly awaited international friendly competition. Scheduled to unfold from August 11th to 13th, 2023, this friendly contest assumes great significance for both nations. Zambia and Zimbabwe will utilize these matches as valuable preparatory exercises for the impending 2024 Paris Olympic Qualifiers. These forthcoming qualifiers are set to be hosted by South Africa later in the year, and both teams are keen on fine-tuning their strategies. The contest's schedule will see Zambia take on Zimbabwe, with the men's teams clashing at 13:30 CAT and the women's teams following suit at 15:10 CAT. Guiding the Women’s team as Head Coach is Floyd Chomba, while the role of assistant coach for the men’s team falls to David Kapeso. With unwavering confidence, all coaches have attested to the readiness of their respective teams. They collectively underline the significance of enhancing Zambia's exposure in order to adequately prepare for the array of esteemed international competitions that lie ahead. Just last month, the Zambia Hockey Association revealed its intent to escalate training efforts at the OYDC Zambia, all in preparation for the Paris 2024 Olympic Qualifiers Games to be hosted in South Africa. The qualifiers are scheduled to unfold in Johannesburg from October 29th to November 5th, 2023. Zambia's opponents in this fierce battle for Olympic qualification include Egypt, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, and the host nation, South Africa. The stakes are high, with direct slots to the coveted Paris 2024 Olympic Games up for grabs for the top-performing teams in each gender category. Amidst this anticipation and ambition, the General Secretary of the Zambia Hockey Association, Elvis Bwalya, extends heartfelt gratitude to all those instrumental in making the Zimbabwe trip a reality. He voices the pressing need for continued support to sustain Zambia's promising hockey endeavors. Additionally, Bwalya expresses sincere appreciation towards the management of OYDC Zambia, which has been instrumental in providing training facilities on home soil. Moreover, he acknowledges their dedication to nurturing junior talents through participation in developmental leagues, exemplified by the Teulings Youth Sports Challenge. Notably, a significant proportion of the players representing Zambia on the international stage emerged from this developmental platform.