Sports and hobbies in Mozambique

Mozambicans are very passionate about their sports; With a heavy focus on football and to a lesser extent on other sports. There are plenty of opportunities for hobbies and leisure activities, but as they can be quite expensive at times, you will find that most Mozambicans are not able to take part. As with most other aspects of this beautiful country, the lack of infrastructure coupled with poverty levels has had a profound impact on the development of sports and hobbies across the land.

As a result, many of the most popular sports are ones that don’t require a lot of money to play.

soccer

Football, sometimes known as soccer due to the Portuguese influence, is just as popular in Mozambique as it is in other African countries. You often come across both kids and adults playing a casual game whenever possible, especially on weekends. The structure of proper club football is not as good as in other countries due to infrastructural challenges, but there are still some professional clubs. There is a lot of exchange between Portugal and Mozambique regarding football, with players and teams from each country regularly playing with and against each other.

athletics

Athletics is a sport that is not as widely practiced as it should be, given the relative ease of participation. Mozambique sometimes punches above its weight in this sport, having won a gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics proving that they can compete at the highest level.

Basketball

Unlike most other South African countries, basketball is a very popular sport in Mozambique. While internationally recognized since 1978, the Mozambican national team has yet to win any notable tournament. This, of course, has not diminished the enthusiasm for this sport and is still very widespread.

capoeira

The martial art sport of Capoeira is just beginning to emerge in Mozambique, with its popularity growing at a rapid pace.

stadiums

There is a shortage of stadiums and sports facilities in Mozambique, as some world-class facilities have been established recently with foreign investment. Outback areas tend to have little to no facilities, while football clubs seem to attract all the investment. The newest and best stadium is Estadio do Zimpeto which was opened in 2011 and has a capacity of up to 42,000 people. While described as a multi-use stadium, it is used almost exclusively for football matches.

hobbies

The types of hobbies available in Mozambique are usually of the outdoor physical kind. The most popular hobbies include:

• • Fishing: With a large coastline, Mozambique is famous for its fishing. This takes the form of both recreational and subsistence hunting. The country is famous for its fishing and is largely unspoiled, making it a favorite destination with both local and international visitors.

• • Water Sports: Any type of water sport, be it sailing, diving, or even just swimming, is very popular because of the warm weather and water.

• Sandboarding: Being an easy sport to learn and not always requiring a lot of equipment, sandboarding is a relatively new hobby that is starting to become very popular.

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