Calls for more athletics action in Bulawayo

THE Bulawayo Athletics Board (Bab) remains determined to achieve its ambitious target of staging at least two athletics events every month despite the challenges that have made the goal difficult to sustain.

Bab chairman Watson Madanyika says the board’s vision is to keep athletes competing regularly, but acknowledges that turning the ambitious calendar into reality has not been easy.
For now, however, the board’s attention is firmly fixed on the White City Stars Open Track and Field Championships, with Madanyika promising that they want to make the sixth edition of the event a major occasion on the city’s athletics calendar.

The championships, organised by White City Stars Athletics Club, are scheduled for 26 September at White City Stadium and will bring together athletes from different clubs, schools and provinces.

While the event is primarily a club initiative, Madanyika believes its continued growth fits perfectly into Bab’s broader objective of ensuring that Bulawayo has a vibrant and competitive athletics programme.

“Our goal as the board is to have at least two events every month. It has been difficult, but that is still something we are pushing for,” said Madanyika.

“You want athletes to compete regularly because that is how they improve. You also want to keep athletics alive throughout the year and give athletes something to look forward to.

“At the moment, our focus is fully on the White City Stars event. We want to make it big and ensure that it becomes a very important event on our calendar.”

The two-events-a-month target is an ambitious one, particularly given the financial and logistical demands involved in staging athletics competitions.

Unlike some sporting events that can be organised around a single venue, athletics meets require considerable planning, from securing facilities and officials to attracting competitors and finding resources to make competitions worthwhile.

Madanyika, however, believes the difficulties should not discourage the board from pursuing its long-term vision.

For Bab, a busy calendar is important not only for elite athletes but also for juniors and emerging competitors who need regular competition to develop.

Athletes can train for months, but without enough opportunities to test themselves against others, their progress can be difficult to measure.

That is where Madanyika sees events such as the White City Stars championships playing an important role.

The competition has reached its sixth edition and has gradually established itself as one of the fixtures athletes look forward to on the Bulawayo calendar.

This year’s programme includes the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, Mile, 3 000m, 5 000m, 4x100m and 4x400m relays, as well as the long jump.

For Bab, the attraction is not simply the number of events on the programme, but the opportunity to create a competitive environment in which athletes can benchmark themselves.

Madanyika wants this year’s edition to go beyond simply ticking a competition off the calendar.

He wants it to demonstrate what can be achieved when athletics stakeholders work together.

“The White City Stars event is one of those events that we really want to support and see growing. We want it to be big. We want athletes to come, compete and enjoy themselves, but also for people to appreciate the quality of athletics that we have in Bulawayo.

“These are the kinds of events that help us achieve what we are trying to do as a board.”