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Lovemore Dube Senior Sports Editor
ATHLETES bidding to represent Zimbabwe at this year’s African Games in Congo-Brazzaville have been challenged to prove their worth.
The call was made by Sport and Recreation Commission spokesperson Tiri Nheweyembwa yesterday. He said preparations for the Games had already hit top gear.
“Preparations to participate in the 11th edition of the African Games set for Congo- Brazzaville from 3- September 3-19, 2015 have reached top gear with the team management saying that they are not going to carry everyone to the Games as teams will have to prove their worth,” he said.
A number of sporting disciplines have already qualified for the Games.
“So far the following sport codes athletics, men’s Rugby Sevens, cycling, swimming, gymnastics, karate, lawn tennis and sport for people with disabilities have direct entries to the Games. However, the management shall critically assess the performance of those teams and athletes. In the case a particular sport code’s performance does not match continental standards the management committee will not hesitate to drop those sport codes unless if there is strong justification like the athletes being groomed for future Games otherwise this is not a Sport For All platform, we only need the best,” added Nheweyembwa.
He said the immediate challenge lay in getting athletes and teams to qualify for the Games. Resource mobilisation was among their preoccupations for now as government funding would not be enough. Close to $700,000 is needed for this year’s African Championships previously the All-Africa Games.
“The immediate task for the team is to see it to it that teams qualify for the African Games and to raise resources for Team Zimbabwe because government funds alone will not be sufficient to take care of the needs of the team. Close to $700,000 will be required to send the team to the Games and to that end we will be approaching different corporates for support.
“The African Games provide a unique opportunity for the companies which may be considering making forays into the continent and beyond for their products will be exposed to a wide audience since the whole of Africa would have converged in Congo-Brazzaville for the Games,” said Nheweyembwa.
Other disciplines still bidding to qualify are the men’s Under-23 football team and women’s side.
Meanwhile, the SRC has appointed the team management to the African Games, formerly known as the All Africa Games which are set to be held on 3-19 September 2015 in Congo – Brazzaville. It is headed by SRC director sport development Joseph Muchechetere who is the Chef de Mission.
Muchechetere will be deputised by Joe Rugwete from Zimbabwe Karate Union in administration while seasoned swimming technical official Kathy Lobb will head the technical side of the team.
“In the three we have highly experienced sport administrators who are going to be complimented by team managers and coaches who we believe will raise the bar this year so that we may get to be in the top 10 during the competition.”
Muchechetere is a seasoned sports administrator with experience spanning well over two decades and has also been to the All Africa Games in 2007 in charge of Team Zimbabwe protocol and partnerships in Algeria. In 2008 he was the head of the country delegation to the Beijing Paralympic Games, was also deputy Chef de Mission in charge of technical affairs for Team Zimbabwe at the All-Africa Games in Maputo, Mozambique and was the Chef de Mission for Team Zimbabwe to the fifth edition of the AUSC Region 5 Under-20 Youth Games held in Lusaka, Zambia in 2012.
He is the third Zimbabwean to acquire a Masters Degree in Sports Organisation and Management with the IOC after Tommy Sithole and Robert Mutsauki.
Lobb is also a seasoned administrator and swimming official who was the assistant general manager of the COJA 95 (All Africa Games Organising Committee in Harare).
Rugwete is the president of the Zimbabwe Karate Union whose association recently won the best administered association at the Annual National Sports Awards held in December 2014.
Online Reporter