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Ngqwele Dube, Sports Correspondent
THE Bulawayo Athletics Board is set to hold trials at White City Stadium on Saturday as it begins the process of selecting athletes that will be part of the 2018 provincial squad.
Bab chairman, Manuel Mpofu said the event will be the first of three events that would see the selection of the provincial team before the end of the year.
He said they would be holding two other trials in November and December.
Mpofu said they are starting early to prepare for next year and they hope the trials will enable them to get a good squad before the 2018 season starts in January.
“The season begins in earnest in January so we do not want to be caught unaware without a team that can bring results for the province. We will host another similar trial session in November and another in December.
“We also want to give our coaches ample time to work with the athletes once they are selected to ensure they produce good results,” he said.
The trials meet will however, be open to athletes from other provinces.
Mpofu said the trials will also give them an opportunity to create a database of athletes and their times in the event organisations seek runners to offer scholarships.
He said once an entity came seeking scholarships they would not have call for trials but would just look at the results of the events they would have held.
“Athletes will put in their efforts knowing they could miss out on scholarships if they do not do their best,” added Mpofu.
Events that athletes are set to compete next week include 2000m, 1000m, 600m, 300m, 150m and 4x400m mixed relay on the track while in the field there is long jump and triple jump.
While no organisation offering scholarships has approached them recently, last year, Arnold Payne Global sports approached BAB seeking talented athletes for opportunities to train in the United States of America.
Online Reporter