adminHe was speaking in an interview yesterday on the sidelines of the Air Force Commander Shooting Competition underway at Cleveland Riffle Shooting Range in Harare.
“War veterans have great interest and skill in shooting, but the majority of them do not have access to the sport owing to a number of reasons,” said Group Captain Chimedza.
“They are the ones who brought the freedom for many people to participate in sporting activities of their choice but they do not seem to enjoy that choice.
“In this chapter of the Air Force Commander shooting competition, we have war veterans from Matabeleland, Mashonaland and Midlands provinces.
“We are mostly reaching out to forgotten veterans living in the rural areas as in many cases those in towns sometimes participate in our yearly competitions.
“The war veterans used the AK47 riffle so much such that if they participate in shooting competitions the world would be shocked at how many marksmen our country has.’’
Group Captain Chimedza said this year’s competition has more than 400 participants from the uniformed forces, security organisations, farmers who do business with AFZ, business community, security companies and war veterans.
There are over 100 women participating in the competition in various categories.
Group Captain Chimedza said sport affords a good platform for interaction between the Air Force and business partners in a friendly environment.
“Many people wish they can have a feel of the riffle, especially the AK47, but our laws restrict it to security forces so this competition affords those with an interest to quench it and mingle with our friendly forces,’’ he said.
The competition ends on Sunday where winners will receive awards from Air Force Commander Air Marshal Perrence Shiri.
Online Reporter