Defiant Naaz organises two coaching clinics

Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter

THE National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe (Naaz) is organising two coaching clinics in Harare and Bulawayo despite the Government urging people to minimise public gatherings.

Although Naaz says classes will have a maximum of 20 participants, the courses will be facilitated by foreigners, whose nationalities haven’t been revealed.

“The National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe is inviting coaches for the two international courses that will take place in April (TOECS 20-24 April) and August (21-28 August 2020). 

“This will be the first middle-and long-distance course to be hosted in Africa outside the Regional Development Centre in Kenya,” reads the first invitation by Naaz secretary-general Cynthia Phiri.

The two courses will be held at White City Stadium in Bulawayo.

In another invite, Phiri said Naaz had organised another international course set for May in Harare and will also be facilitated by experts appointed by World Athletics.

“We have experts appointed by IAAF that will conduct the courses. Only 20 people will be trained in the courses.”

Naaz president Tendai Tagara said their courses will proceed as scheduled in defiance of the Sports and Recreation Commission, directive that all sporting activities be banned after President Mnangagwa pronounced the banning of public gatherings of 100 or more people.

Tagara said next month’s course will go ahead as long as it has less than 100 participants.

“The April course is out of the question if it has over 100, but what I have seen is that most National Sports Associations have gone on the caution side by suspending everything until granted authority to do so. 

“Also, no authority has been granted to organise these (Naaz courses),” said the SRC communications officer Tirivashe Nheweyembwa.

Naaz’s wisdom of holding courses in the midst of a pandemic that has seen most developed countries going into lockdown and at a time Zimbabwe is recording cases of the disease must be questioned.