adminJillian Shava Sports Reporter
THE Bulawayo Athletics Development Project will hold its annual 3-Series event at Northlea High School on June 27. The event involves both primary and secondary schools, but the number set to participate in the upcoming meet is yet to be finalised as registration only closes on June 22. The project is fronted by the National Association of Secondary School Heads (Nash) and the National Association of Primary School Heads (Naph).
“As of now, the project has no corporate sponsors, but several organisations have been approached and we’re hopeful that by June 27 we may have sponsorship,” said Vusumuzi Mlilo, the project technical secretary.
In the schools’ calendar, athletics is held in the first term only, but the Bulawayo Athletics Development Project seeks to change this and make the discipline an all-year event.
“The project was born out of a desire to identify and nurture talent at an early age and foster a culture of participating in athletics throughout the year for schools as opposed to the once-off athletics in the first term school calendar,” said Mlilo.
The scheme is an integration of primary and secondary pupils on one platform where their progress from one age group to another would be under strict monitoring.
Mlilo said children advancing from primary to secondary school would be systematically channelled into athletics development programmes managed by both school-based and professional clubs to make monitoring easier.
Over-aged primary school pupils would be given a chance to participate throughout the year even when Naph competitions exclude them. Late maturing secondary school pupils that cannot make Nash selections would also be given a chance to prepare themselves for the following year.
The concept of the project is designed to eventually eradicate cheating as a database would be built for Bulawayo athletes. All primary and secondary school pupils that excel are captured in one database making it easy to trace their progress.
Pupils enrolling for secondary school would be easy to track as the database stretches back to primary school.
“The most important aspect of reducing cheating is teaching teachers about athletes’ development and grooming. This project encourages schools to have standing teams throughout the year with no need to desperately look for athletes that don’t exist, prompting the use of illegitimate competitors,” said Mlilo.
Last year, three primary school pupils were selected into the 2014 Bulawayo Youth Games team. One of them, Sharlane Kasema, 13, of Mabhukudwana Primary School went on to win gold in the medley relay, silver in the 4X100m and bronze in the 100m.
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