The encounter with Nathan, the coach who established the Blue Wood Handball Club, begins in December 2016 when he was visited in Japan.
When Coach Yoshimura visited Zambia in 2018 and coached them, he noticed that Nathan was quick to understand at that time. Although he was inconspicuous as a player, he began to play a role in accurately communicating the coach’s guidance to fellow players in the team.
Then, in the summer of 2018, I propose to change his as a coach. Nathan said Yoshimura is one of the coaches who motivated him to have big interested in coaching. This was then acknowledged, and Nathan set up his own club team soon afterward. Beginning with the guidance of local children, his club became with as many as 50 players in less than two years.
The Zikomo Project is not the only handball supporters who has visited Zambia. The Norwegian Olympic Commission, like JICA volunteers, continued to provide support. People of Germany and Denmark are actively support Nathan through SNS. He is collecting information on practice methods and tactics through SNS. However, of course, the operation as a club is fragile. The current situation is that they rely on external assistance for everything. Zikomo Project continues to support operating expenses, expedition expenses, balls, and uniforms to support Nathan’s efforts and the development for the players of next generation.
