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Ellina Mhlanga, Senior Sports Reporter
NATIONAL Athletics Association of Zimbabwe have lined up several coaches and technical officials for international courses due to take place before the end of the year as they brace up for the 2025 season.
They are scheduled to hold the Level One coaching course for sprints from November 29 to December 3 in Bulawayo and will be conducted by head coach Zimbabwe director of coaching, talent identification, and development Lisimati Phakamile.
It will kick-start almost at the same time as the Level Two course that will be conducted by Muzi Mabuza, a specialist appointed by World Athletics. It will run from December 1 to 6 in Bulawayo as well.
NAAZ president Tendayi Tagara said they are preparing for the 2025 season.
“NAAZ have lined up international courses as part of our preparation for the 2025 athletics season.
“We are having courses starting end of November where we will have international courses for sprints that will be conducted by a sprint specialist that has been appointed by the World Athletics.
“We have already applied to the World Athletics for the running of the course that will take place from the 29th of November to the 3rd of December.
“We are expecting a full complement of 15 coaches for sprints. Unfortunately, we cannot train more than 15 because it’s an international course that has an international requirement that a full class has only 15 coaches,” said Tagara.
The Level One course is mainly targeting schools, but Tagara said it was also open to the uniformed forces who, have over the years contributed to Zimbabwean athletics.
“Our target are school coaches because that is the backbone of athletics where we see the cadets, the youths, and the juniors in the school system, so that’s our backbone.
“We are also expecting coaches from the Prisons, from the Army and Police to attend, coaches from universities and colleges but a maximum of 15 will be trained.”
They will also hold a jumps course and besides the coaching side, they are set to have a technical officials’ course.
“In December, from the 1st to the 4th, we are lining up a technical officials course that will be training officials as part of the preparation for the 2025 season.
“We believe by that time the school calendar in terms of availability of participants from the schools system, will be available because the school calendar will be coming to an end.
“So the availability of coaches will be very high by that time of the year.
“We have also received inquiries from other countries. We are expecting coaches from Ethiopia, Kenya, and Nigeria to come to join us for the other jumps course we are planning in December.
“These courses are quite limited in Zimbabwe and Africa at large that’s why we end up with several foreign coaches.
“As usual we expect coaches from Zambia and Botswana to attend the course. And this year again Eswatini have shown interest that they will send a coach for the jumps course that will take place from the 13th to the 17th of December,” said Tagara.
“This is to make sure that we have enough coaches who are prepared and gain the advantage, these coaches will go back to their schools and give the kids the programmes they must use during the holidays. That’s why we are trying to make sure this thing happens in time.
“But we are trying to make sure that we appoint at least one coach per province to make sure that in each course each province is represented,” said Tagara.
The season is expected to start in January.
Online Reporter