Partille World Cup

Friendships built across continents - The Journey from Zimbabwe

Many valuable lessons, especially the spirit of friendship and camaraderie found at the Partille World Cup, helped shape our Academy into a national leader in handball development.

This is our third part in our series The Journey. Take part of Alfos Mhondiwa's story below.

Zimbabwe’s inspiring handball journey to Gothenburg began with the Olympic Development Program in 2012. At the time, we were a developing handball nation, and the invitation to train abroad with eight other nations was a dream come true. That week of international coaching completely changed our perspective on the sport.
Since then, Mashrhino Sports Academy – Zimbabwe’s largest handball club – has used Partille World Cup as a learning platform, participating from 2012 to 2017 and proudly returning in 2024. The tournament’s spirit of friendship and unity has played a key role in shaping our Academy into a national leader.
With incredible support from our friends Stefan and Fredrik at IK Sävehof, and top coaches like Henrik Signell and Elvir Rakovic, we’ve trained 92 coaches and 54 referees in Zimbabwe. Their efforts have been vital in growing the sport across the country – all thanks to the opportunities born from Partille World Cup.

As of today, over 180 Mashrhino athletes have competed in the tournament. Thirty-eight of them have gone on to represent Zimbabwe, including five as national team captains. Every trip to the tournament leaves our youth motivated and transformed.
Mashrhino has been Zimbabwe’s National Youth Games champion in handball since 2017, a success directly linked to our Partille experience. Our male youth national team now leads IHF’s Zone 6 – with a third of its players from our Academy.
Beyond sport, the journey has connected us with clubs across Europe and India, forming lasting friendships. Our memories include the Opening Ceremony, matches at Heden, the Leaders Party, visits to Universeum and Liseberg, boat rides, and the unforgettable train ride through Sweden’s summer landscape. For our athletes, many of whom have never seen the ocean, these experiences are both educational and inspiring.
Despite financial challenges and the long 24-hour trip, we remain committed to returning year after year. Bringing youth aged 11 to 16 to Partille is one of our proudest missions – and winning “Best Costume” at the 2024 Opening Ceremony was a true highlight.