Online Reporter
Ellina Mhlanga
Zimpapers Sports Hub
THE National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe have lined up several courses next month to ensure their officials are equipped and capacitated to handle competitions and athletes.
NAAZ are scheduled to hold the Technical Officials Education and Certification System (TOECS), and Coaches Education and Certification System (CECS) in August.
The association are also taking some of the courses, in particular the TOECS, to other provinces as part of efforts to decentralise the programmes.
Provinces to host the TOECS include Mashonaland West, Manicaland, Masvingo and Harare.
With competition currently on break, NAAZ director of coaching Phakamile Lisimati this is the time to prepare for the coming season.
“We are currently having no athletic business during this time of the year.
“We believe this is the best time for us to prepare thoroughly for the coming season and for the coming athletics competitions.
“We are taking this opportunity to technically improve our coaches and officials. Hence, you see a number of courses that have been spread out across the country to try and target our technical officials and our coaches from their own bases and home areas.
“We are going to be delegating a team of highly qualified technical officials to lead in these courses,” said Lisimati.
The first TOECS takes off at Lomagundi from August 6 to 8 while the second one is set for Makoni in Manicaland from August 14 to 16.
Masvingo will have theirs from August 25 to 27 and Harare run their course from August 22 to 24.
For the coaches they have the CECS Level One starting from August 22 to 24 in Bulawayo.
The Level Two focusing on sprints and hurdles is scheduled to take place from August 23 to 28.
The courses will conclude with the conditioning course from August 29 to 31.
“We are having courses in Masvingo, we are having courses in Mashonaland, we are having courses in Bulawayo as well as Harare.
“We will be sending highly qualified technical officials to lead in this upgrading, and in these workshops to try and assist our coaches and assist our technical officials improve and update their knowledge in the sport.
“It is our goal that we thoroughly improve our local officials, our local coaches, our local athletes.
“Hence, we are focusing on developing the coaches. We are developing the technical officials so that they go down and try and improve as we have seen that our local athletes have been working, doing very well currently in the continent,” said Lisimati.
There have been some positives in terms of the sport locally with athletes registering encouraging performances at various stages such as at regional meets, continental and at the world stage.
