Online Reporter
Veronic Gwaze
Zimpapers Sports Hub
ZIMBABWE Gymnastics heads to the African Championships with a team drawn from one club, picked through a system rival coaches say has long shut them out.
All four athletes selected for Cameroon for April 23 to 26 come from Drastic Gymnastics, a club owned by association president Chris Muchatuta. The decision has re-opened questions around control of the sport, how athletes are identified, and who gets access to national opportunities.
Muchatuta leads the association while running one of its top clubs. Members linked to that club sit on the executive board and also serve as judges at national events. Coaches outside that circle say the structure leaves little room for fairness.
“International competitions come through the association, but some clubs are never told,” said one coach, who asked not to be named. “Athletes are not being measured on performance. It depends on where they train.”
Muchatuta has since refuted the allegations. He says the Cameroon event targets senior athletes, and most clubs work with younger gymnasts, which made wider consultation unnecessary.
That explanation has not settled the issue.
At the centre of the dispute is access. Most clubs train at a government facility inside the ZIMSEC complex in Mount Pleasant. Muchatuta’s club operates separately, a few kilometres away.
In 2024, clubs using the government gym were presented with a new usage contract. Four rejected it. Three later signed under pressure. One refused and was suspended from all association activities, including national competitions and meetings.
Parents say conditions at the gym worsened soon after. Equipment was removed. Cameras were installed without notice. Routine maintenance stopped, and the facility was eventually shut for a period.
“Those decisions don’t affect his athletes,” said one parent. “They push people out.” Muchatuta did not respond to those claims.
Concerns stretch beyond selection and facilities.
At last year’s Region Five Championships in Namibia, selected athletes were told to fund their own participation. Each family paid about US$2 300 for travel and kit, with many turning to crowd-funding after late confirmation of selection.
When the team arrived, their kits carried two sponsors’ logos.
Parents questioned how sponsors appeared on kits they had paid for themselves.
Sources familiar with the process said Zimbabwe Gymnastics had engaged one of the sponsors ahead of the event. The company asked for formal paperwork to complete the deal. That paperwork was never submitted.
“We are still waiting for them to submit the documents,” a source from the company. “The understanding was there, but the agreement was not finalised.”
Another sponsor did not respond to requests for comment. The dispute has been building for months.
On May 14, 2024, clubs, coaches and parents wrote to the Sports and Recreation Commission director general asking for intervention. The letter raised concerns over the gym contract, athletes safety and the exclusion of certain clubs from national structures. There has been no visible resolution. Some parents have since pulled their children out of the sport.
