adminNkosilathi Sibanda Sports Reporter
THE ongoing African Union Sports Council Region 5 Under-20 Youth Games athletics competitions at White City Stadium are to be used as qualifiers for the 2016 Africa Athletics Championships.
Owing to the upgrade of White City Stadium to a world class athletics arena, it was unanimously agreed by participating countries that the sixth edition of the Games be the platform to assemble teams to compete with the rest of the continent.
This is a first in Zimbabwe athletics and an honour for the Bulawayo stadium.
The Africa Athletics Championships is a continental athletics event organised by the Confederation of African Athletics. It is held every two years and this August countries met in Marrakech, Morocco.
Moses Bantsi, Confederation of African Athletics president for the Southern region, revealed that all qualifying times at White City will confirm the participating athletes for the Africa Championships.
Bantsi, who was impressed by the renovations at White City, said they could not have found a better competition for the African qualifiers.
“These competitions at White City will be the qualifiers for the Africa Championships. There is no other race that can beat the standard that has been set by Zimbabwe.
“The fact that the sixth edition of the Games was held under world class standards deserves the right to be awarded as the only qualifying stage for the Africa Championships,” said Bantsi.
He said there are few athletics arenas that match the equipment installed at White City. He commended the government for its commitment in renovating the stadium.
“What we see here at White City is world class. There are few countries that boast of having the equipment that Zimbabwe has put in place. Even some European countries do not have the same technology. The Government of Zimbabwe invested a lot in these Games.”
Southern Africa last hosted the African Championships in 1993 at Kings Park Stadium, Durban.
Online Reporter