Online Reporter
Innocent Kurira, Zimpapers Sports Hub
BULAWAYO Athletics Board (BAB) will fire the starter’s gun on its 2026 season at White City Stadium on February 7, but first the city’s coaches and technical officials will be back in the classroom on January 31 for a refresher workshop meant to tighten standards before the races begin.
The session, also at White City, is designed to update coaches and officials on the latest technical requirements as Bulawayo braces for a packed track and field calendar. BAB says the workshop is a key part of its plan to improve officiating consistency and coaching quality across schools and clubs.
The programme will be delivered by lecturers appointed by the National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe (Naaz), giving the workshop national weight and aligning Bulawayo’s preparations with the rules and interpretations used at major competitions.
BAB said the refresher will cast a wide net, targeting school-level coaches and officials without formal qualifications, those with basic coaching or officiating certificates, Level One and Two Naaz coaches and officials, club coaches, and sports directors who run schools’ athletics programmes.
Participants will pay US$20 each, a fee that includes lunch, as BAB pushes for broader participation in technical education at a time when many school programmes are under pressure from limited resources and uneven access to certified officials.
BAB chairperson Watson Madanyika said the board was banking on the combination of training and early-season competition to lift performance levels in the city.
“We are really looking forward to the season. Our focus is on improving standards, supporting our coaches and officials, and creating quality competition for our athletes. With the level of preparation we are putting in, we believe this season will be better and more competitive than the last,” said Madanyika.
Once the workshop is done, the focus shifts straight to the BAB Track and Field Championship on February 7, the board’s first major meet of the year, expected to draw cadets, youths, juniors and senior athletes from clubs, schools and institutions in Bulawayo and surrounding areas.
Organisers have lined up a full programme of races and jumps, with sprint, middle distance and endurance events meant to test athletes early and set a benchmark for the rest of the season.
Track events on the day will include the 100m, 100m hurdles, 110m hurdles, 200m, 400m, 400m hurdles, 800m, 1500m, 3000m, 5000m, the mile, 4x100m relay and 4x400m relay.
Field events will feature long jump, triple jump, high jump, shot put, discus and javelin, giving clubs and schools a full spread across power, speed and technique disciplines.
Entry fees have been set at US$3 per event per athlete and US$6 per relay team, a pricing structure aimed at keeping the meet accessible while still supporting the costs of staging a full championship programme.
