Chronicle Editor
Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
THE National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe (Naaz) says athletes that excel in today’s National Open Championships will be sent to Zambia to improve their qualification times for international competitions.
White City Stadium in Bulawayo will play host to the track and field championships.
At least 150 athletes drawn from the country’s 10 provinces as well as security institutions such as the Zimbabwe Republic Police will compete in an empty stadium as fans are still barred.
Participants will compete in track and field events.
For track events, competitors will battle it out in the 100m, 200m, 400m, 1 500m, 5 000m and 10 000m, while field events will do long jump and javelin.
Naaz president Tendai Tagara said with athletes chasing World Senior Championships and Olympic qualification, his association has made plans to take athletes with good times to a competition that will be held in Zambia.
“Our hope is that this competition will see athletes vying for World Junior Championships and Olympic times. After the competition, we intend to send athletes with good times to Zambia so that they push for Olympic qualification and other international meets.
“Electronic timing, which is a technical requirement for all sprinting competitions for junior events and Olympic qualifying, will be there at White City, so it’s game-on,” said Tagara.
The Naaz boss expressed gratitude to the Government for allowing resumption of sporting activities.
He said they will abide by Covid-19 protocols to ensure that they don’t lose their privileges of continuing with their activities.
Some athletes that have registered for the competition include female sprinters Faith Dube, Anita Ndlovu, Emmaculate Mapurisa and Dorothy Kavhumbura as well as javelin throwers Garfield Macebo and Samuel Ncube from Plumtree and St Bernard’s Tanaka Kasinga. — @ZililoR
Online Reporter