Team Zim aborts camp

Sikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
LIMITED financial resources have forced Team Zimbabwe to abort their first training camp for the forthcoming African Union Sports Council Region Five Under-20 Games that will be held in Bulawayo in December. Instead the team, comprising 206 athletes, will now have a weekend camp sometime in mid October before going into full time camp in Bulawayo from November 25, right up to the start of the sixth edition of the bi-annual games on December 5.

“We ought to have gone into camp from September 1 to 7, but because of resources we were not able to do that. We instead postponed the camp to midweek October which will be a weekend camp,” said Team Zimbabwe spokesperson Tirivashe Nheweyembwa yesterday.

He said after the October weekend camp, Team Zimbabwe will disperse before regrouping on November 25, in Bulawayo for full-time camp until the start of the games.

“Our reason for coming to Bulawayo is to acclimatise, get to know the geography of the city and also be allowed to test some of the venues ahead of other countries,” said Nheweyembwa.

The Team Zimbabwe spokesperson said athletes would also undergo a second testing and measurement of the Body Muscle Index (BMI).
BMI is used to determine if you have a healthy weight for your height.

Once the test is done, coaches will then come up with a programme that will align the athlete to the right weight for the height.
Meanwhile, Nheweyembwa revealed that selection of athletes for the Games has since ended following the closure of accreditation on August 31.

Team Zimbabwe has 40 swimmers (boys and girls), 24 basketball players (boys and girls), 36 football players (boys and girls), 50 track and field athletes (boys and girls), 10 boxers and an equal number of judo athletes, 12 netball and four tennis players as well as 30 athletes who will compete in athletics for the visually impaired (boys and girls).

He also said that boys football will now be for the Under-17 instead of Under-20.
“I understand that at about the time that we will be having these games, Cosafa also has their Under-20 Championships hence the switch downwards to the Under-17s,” said Nheweyembwa.