Busy schedule for bodybuilders

Deputy Sports Editor

AT face value, the National Federation of Zimbabwe Bodybuilding and Fitness (NFZBF)’s 2024 calendar may seem ordinary.

With the Covid-19 pandemic as good as over, at least eight events have been scheduled for the country’s seasoned and aspiring bodybuilders, starting with the Novice Zimbabwe event, which is pencilled in for March 23 in the capital.

But focus will once again fall on the big three events — the Ironman Festival, set for August 24; the Marume Classic (September 21); and the Zimbabwe Nationals (November 23). The customary provincial shows are also expected to return. These include the Manicaland Open, the Harare Classic and Mr Bulawayo, which will be held on October 5, October 19 and November 19, respectively.

Of course, there are the district and provincial shows, as well as the all-important IFBB Arnold Classic in-between all these events.

NFZBF secretary-general Quiet Shangai believes being able to hold all these events is an important milestone.

However, the real success story of 2024 will probably lie in development programmes and continued efforts to foster relations with regional and continental counterparts.

“Last year was indeed very good for us.

“We managed to hold our Novice competition, which is mandatory, as it is a developmental show,” Shangai said.

“The sole objective of the show is to give the young upstarts a platform to showcase their skills, gauge where they stand and learn as much as they can.

“The moment they compete in this competition, we are also given the opportunity to assess them, give them the exposure, experience and, hopefully, boost their confidence.”

Last year, the Novice Zimbabwe contest managed to evolve, as the federation added it as a category to all their events.

This was opposed to the single Novice event from previous years.

NFZBF has also set its sights on building more synergies with some of their regional counterparts and beyond.

The goal behind these synergies is to build partnerships that will see the exchange of ideas, personnel and other resources.

“Our targets go beyond just hosting shows, as we also strive to create space for development with regard to our athletes, officials and all the numerous players in this industry,” added Shangai.

“We had been talking to Ghana and sent an athlete for the IFBB West African Championships, officiated at a couple of events in Zambia and we have been helping Malawi to develop.

“Benny Phiri, the Malawian bodybuilding president, came for last year’s Harare Classic and returned again for the nationals as a guest.

“We hope to continue working hand in hand with a lot of these federations, like Mozambique, Eswatini, our all-weather friend South Africa, Ghana, Cameroon, Mauritius, Kenya, Tanzania and Nigeria.”

Apart from fostering good relations, Zimbabwe is also angling to one day start hosting some of the more notable regional and continental events.

“We want to have the Southern African Championships in Zimbabwe and start hosting other regional shows on the calendar.

“Ghana hold the West African Championships every year and one of our athletes actually competed and won the bikini category last year.”

NFZBF 2024 calendar

March 23 — Novice Zimbabwe

April 20 — IFBB West African Championships, Accra, Ghana

May 19-21 — IFBB Arnold Classic Africa, South Africa

June 6-9 — IFBB African Championships, Egypt

August 24 — Ironman Zimbabwe

September 21 — Marume Classic

October 5 — Manicaland Open

TBA — Midlands Championships