LUSAKA, March 11 (Xinhua) -- The Zambian women's national soccer team on Wednesday received accolades from a cross section of society for qualifying to the Tokyo Olympic Games soccer tournament to be held in Japan.
The Shepolopolo secured the Olympic berth, after beating Cameroon 2-1 and drawing 4-4 on aggregate. It is the first time that Zambia will have representation at the Olympics since 1988 when the men's national team reached the quarterfinals.
President Edgar Lungu congratulated the team, saying the team should count on his support and that of the government. He urged the team to keep the nation's hopes alive.
The Council of Southern African Football Association (COSAFA) also commended the team for qualifying, adding that the whole region was proud of Zambia.
World soccer governing body, FIFA, also congratulated Zambia for qualifying, according to a twitter message sent to Zambia's soccer governing body.
