Online Reporter
Lovemore Dube, [email protected]
THE Zimbabwe Boxing Federation (ZBF) has synchronised its activities to align with the International Boxing Association and Olympic cycle.
Stephen Masiyambumbi, the head of technical under ZBF described 2026 as critical in building momentum towards qualification for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
The United States of America will play host to the Olympics.
“Our 2026 plan is structured around the International Boxing Association (IBA) Boxing competition calendar and is a critical year for building momentum towards the 2028 Olympic cycle,” said Masiyambumbi.
Core events, he said, would be a number of national series tournaments culminating in international travel for exposure.
“The core of our programme will be a series of national open competitions designed to identify and rank our top talent. Internationally, we will focus our elite athletes on participation in the IBA tournaments which are scheduled across the globe,” said Masiyambumbi, himself a former championship welterweight boxer of note.
Masiyambumbi said on the calendar is a robust national activity plan meant to give boxers real quality opposition to sharpen their skills.
Two big tournaments have been lined up for March with one to be sponsored by former amateur and professional boxing champion Modicai Donga who wants to give back to the sport.
“Yes, we have a robust schedule of national tournaments planned on 14 March in Mvurwi and 28 March in Bulawayo being organised by Modicai Donga and ZBF. These events serve as our official open trials and selection camps,” said Masiyambumbi.
He disclosed that other events for the year have been opened up to bidding by towns who will come in as partners in the funding of the events.
“While the final host cities are currently being confirmed through our internal bidding processes, we are committed to holding our national championships in a location that can accommodate a high-level, competitive environment.
We anticipate announcing the full schedule, including dates and venues for our major national events, ensuring maximum participation from all affiliated clubs and state associations,” he said.
Masiyambumbi reiterated his organisation’s commitment to merit-based selection processes.
Zimbabwe is yet to go beyond the quarter-finals of the Olympics.
“As technical director, I must adhere to a strict policy of merit-based selection to maintain fairness and team cohesion. We do not publicly ‘earmark’ specific athletes for future Games. Instead, we have a structured high-performance programme that is constantly evaluating all eligible athletes against published, objective performance criteria. Our focus is on the system — ensuring every athlete has a fair, transparent pathway through our national trials and international exposure events to earn their place on the team that will contest the Games,” said the award winning ring official.
