Standards improve in Mat North athletics

THE Matabeleland North Athletics Board boss Tawanda Mutero says coach and event officials’ training in the province has upped the game for them.

He says in the past there were few qualified coaches and competition officials which led to standards going down.

The situation was even compounded by the retirement, transfers and passing on of most of the experienced guys in coaching and running events a majority of whom were attached to powerhouse Hwange Colliery.

There were outstanding officials like Abel Manyumeka, Martin Chipembere the late Prize Ndlovu, Paul Chapita, Anthony Zhaneiro, Charles Mafika, Zephaniah Dube, Phineas Ajida and John Nkonde, they helped run most of the competitions in the province.

But a wave of training programmes, most of which have been in Bulawayo under national athletics president Tendai Tagara in the last couple of years have seen several teachers trained as coaches and event day officials.

This has seen them transfer their knowledge to young athletes who have taken that to district and national competitions.

Mutero is happy with the results and that he says can be deduced with the way both primary and secondary school competitions are administered in Matabeleland North.

“Having a good number of trained athletics coaches has improved the sport’s standards in Matabeleland North,” he said on the sidelines of the National Association of Secondary Schools Heads Track and Field Championships at Somvubu Secondary School on Wednesday.

The competition which ends on Thursday is a selection event for those that will represent the province at the national championships in three weeks’ time.

Matabeleland North will be bidding to move off the basement, a position they have held on to over the past decade.

Provincial Matabeleland North Nash boss Sicelo Dube concurs that the province is on the rise with more gold medals having been picked up in recent times. And he expressed confidence that this time around they would have about 10 athletes who are certain medal hopes.

It was a refreshing sight to see Mutero and his track and field judges put up a flawless display ensuring that the schedule was stuck to with events running on time and athletics etiquette followed.

There was a call room where all the verifications and accreditation of athletes were done and they were led to each event in single file by an all in white official.

The pits and track had officials with flags at the rights sports in line with other athletics events.
The athletes sat orderly wherever they were taken until the event. Safety was upmost with none of the athletes passing in between throwing pits.

“Over the past years we have struggled to come up with better competitions in Mat North, it was due because of lack of training most of our members were not qualified enough,” said Mutero.

He said they now boast of big numbers of qualified officials with National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe and World Athletics qualifications.

“We are now running better competitions, it is because of the training programmes which we have had,” he added.

Mutero said even the performances of athletes had improved with Blessmore Sibanda, Tulange and Gift Khumalo among the shining examples. These school athletes have even represented the country in international events.

The Somvubu event ends on Thursday with the selection of the Matabeleland North to take part in the national finals in Harare.