daniel chigunwe
Ellina Mhlanga Senior Sports Reporter
THE athletics team that was scheduled to be part of the Team Zimbabwe for the Africa Union Sports Council Region Five Youth Games did not travel with the rest of the squad yesterday.
Some parents of the athletes, who had been dropped, besieged the athletes camp, expressing their disappointment.
And, in the chaos that followed, the bus, which was supposed to take those who had been selected for the trip was blocked from leaving the premises.
It meant that the 11 fully vaccinated athletes, who should have joined Team Zimbabwe on the chartered flight to Maseru, were left behind.
The other 17 athletes had been dropped because they were not fully vaccinated.
Team Zimbabwe had also to drop the football teams, both boys and girls, the basketball team and athletes for the visually-impaired teams. “The team was given new appearance measures and there was three main priorities,’’ Sports Minister, Kirsty Coventry, told ZBC last night.
“The first was that all athletes had to be vaccinated, that athletes had to produce a negative PCR test and must not have come into contact with anyone who has been positive.
“Due to that, and due to the test results, we have had to reduce our team size.
“Sadly, basketball women and men are out, netball is out, soccer is out, men and women, and our athletes, visually impaired, are out.
“Due to these teams, all being in camp, and the high number of positive tests, including coaches who had come into contact with all athletes, we cannot safely allow these teams to travel.’’
However, there was chaos in the athletes team camp.
When The Herald arrived at the lodge where the team was staying in Belvedere, the situation was tense.
Some of the parents, whose children had been dropped, were gathered at the lodge and were locked inside the premises.
Another group of parents that had come from the airport, demanded to have their children released, since the rest of the team, had already left. Sources, who spoke to The Herald on condition of anonymity, said the aggrieved parents would not let the 11 athletes and team officials, leave yesterday afternoon.
“We came from Mutare early in the morning because our children were told that those who had not received the second jab cannot go but they were in camp for one week,’’ said one of the parents.
“And, when they were called into camp, we got a letter saying those with the first jab should come and they will get their second jab, during the camp, of which they were due for the second jab on 27th.
“Then, we were called up yesterday that they are not going, if they have not received the second jab.’’
Another parent said his child could not write his exams as he came for the camp.
“What makes it painful is that my child was supposed to write his end-of-year exams but he came because I thought he was going to represent his country.
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