FLIGHT PARIS 2024: Copper Queens Off to France for Pre-Olympic Camp
The Copper Queens have left for Paris ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games that kickoff on July 23.
FAZ has organized an international camp for the Copper Queens ahead of the Olympics that will see them play two high profile international friendly matches starting with the July 13 tussle with New Zealand in Lyon.
The squad left aboard Qatar Airlines and will head to Paris via Doha.
FAZ president Andrew Kamanga who saw off the Copper Queens urged them to work hard and fly the Zambian flag high during the Olympics.
Kamanga said FAZ had kept its tradition of preparing teams for international tournaments with quality international camps and friendly matches.
“Like we have done in the past, we have made sure that we have prepared the team adequately. The competition will start on the 23rd of July but you have gone early with a 12-day camp which we hope you will be able to utilize. We have arranged the first game in the 13th of July, we should be able to finalize the second one,” said the FAZ boss.
“We can only wish you well. Remember that you are carrying the hopes of 20 million Zambians, so whatever you do on the pitch is for the benefit of Zambians. We can only wish you well and hope that you will do much better this time than we did in the last Olympics. We want to say goodbye and wishing you all the best.”
And Coach Bruce Mwape expressed happiness that the team will get two friendly matches before the tournament kicks off.
“On behalf the technical bench I can say the team is ready for the competition,” Mwape said…It is good that we will get the second friendly, otherwise the team is ready for the tournament,” he said.
And speaking on behalf of the players, Rachael Nachula appealed to fans to rally behind the team.
“Thanks to the association, the government and the Zambian people. We will work hard to achieve our goal,” she said.
The Copper Queens will play the Ferns of New Zealand on July 13 in Lyon in an international friendly match before engaging a yet to be confirmed Olympic qualified team in the second friendly.
Zambia’s Olympic journey kicks off on July 25 against the United States of America in Nice before facing the Matildas three days later at the same venue.
The final group match is against Germany in St Etienne on July 31.
Bruce Mwape’s lasses are making a return to the Olympics after having made a historic debut in 2021 at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
