Online Reporter
Sikhumbuzo Moyo
ALL is set for the Matabeleland North track and field athletics championships, which will be held on Saturday at the traditional home of provincial athletics, Hwange Colliery Stadium.
The event, making a return after three years, has already been oversubscribed.
Organisers were looking at a field of 150 athletes from across the province, but according to the provincial athletics chairperson, Tawanda Mutero, his board had registered 180 athletes as of Monday, with indications that more would come along.
“Hwange Colliery Company Limited partnered with the provincial board for the success of the event. The event is for the selection of Team Matabeleland North that will represent us at the Inter-provincial championships scheduled for June 7 at White City Stadium in Bulawayo. The competition will also help identify and track young athletes,” said Mutero.
He said six clubs and more than 10 schools from as far as Nkayi, Lupane and Binga have registered for the meet, adding that the list of schools that have registered includes both primary and secondary, a clear indicator of the excitement around the event.
Hopes are high that schools in the province will take advantage of the return of the championships to send as many of their athletes as possible which has a huge potential of turning around their fortunes in the National Association of Primary School Heads as well as National Association of Secondary School Heads national track and field athletics competitions. The province, like its neighbours, Bulawayo and Matabeleland North have consistently been performing dismally at schools national competitions, although in some instances the provinces have also been victims of shameless cheating.
