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Sports Reporter
THE unavailability of White City Stadium is affecting schools’ athletics programmes with the Bulawayo Metropolitan Province’s National Association for Primary School Heads itching to use the refurbished facility.
A tartan track, state-of-the-art electronic timing devices, a VIP arena and a giant monitoring screen were installed at Bulawayo’s ceremonial home of athletics ahead of last December’s African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5 Under-20 Youth Games.
Njabulo Bango, the Naph head-in-charge for Bulawayo Metropolitan Province said they have been advised that White City will only be available after a hand over ceremony of the facility to the local authority by the AUSC Region 5 Under-20 Youth Games local organising committee.
“We want our children to start enjoying the legacy left by the hosting of the African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5 Under-20 Youth Games. White City is one of the facilities that were given a facelift to meet world-class standards and as such, if we are to produce star athletes we have to introduce them to these facilities at an early age,” said Bango.
“We tried booking our events at the city council and we were told that they are waiting for the handover to be done. No one seems to know when the handover will be and with our calendar out, we fear that we will be forced to find other alternatives which will deny our children an opportunity to have a feel of the wonderfully refurbished White City Stadium.”
The government through the AUSC Region 5 Youth Games LOC is expected to hand over the facilities to the Bulawayo City Council.
Other Bulawayo City Council facilities that got major facelifts were Luveve and Barbourfields stadiums and the City Pool. Renovations were also done at the Bulawayo Athletic Club which was home to tennis.
With White City temporarily closed, the other option for schools is the National University of Science and Technology.
“Nust has a tartan track but the problem is that their rentals are a bit steep and if we fail to get White City we will have no option but to select a school for Inter-district and Bulawayo provincial competitions,” Bango said.
Zonal competitions for Naph Bulawayo will be held on February 10.
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