Zim athletes dealt body blow

Sikhumbuzo Moyo in BULAWAYO

ZIMBABWEAN athletes have been dealt a body blow as they will miss out from the US$500 000 bailout fund after World Athletics said part of the criteria for eligibility is for one to have qualified for the 2020 Olympics.

While the world sporting extravaganza was pushed forward to next year, it will not be of no use for Zimbabwean athletes because the deadline for applications has been set for May 31.

It’s a time there will be no competitions for athletes to try and qualify for the Olympics because of the Covid-19 pandemic that saw sporting activities across the globe halted.

“All athletes must meet the following eligibility criteria, must be qualified (by meeting the entry standard) for selection for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

“(They) must have never had an anti-doping rule violation and must be able to demonstrate a justifiable welfare need through significant loss of income in 2020 compared to 2019,” World Athletics said through their website.

Due to the postponement of sporting competitions, no Zimbabwean athlete had met the qualifying standard, according to Zimbabwe’s Chef de Mission Thabani Gonye.

Two weeks ago, World Athletics and the International Athletics Foundation announced that a welfare fund had been created to support professional athletes who have lost a substantial part of their income due to the suspension of international competitions this year.

A working group was formed to oversee the distribution of the funds and it has now finalized the eligibility criteria and application process.

World Athletics president Sebastian Coe, who chairs the working group, said it had been a challenging and complicated task to define the eligibility criteria to ensure that grants from the fund were delivered to the athletes most in need.

“The IAF has allocated a substantial sum to the fund, and we hope to raise more through private donations from friends of our sport, but it has become apparent that the resources must be focused on athletes who are likely to be competing at the Olympic Games in Tokyo next year and are now struggling to pay for basic necessities due to loss of income during the pandemic, “ Coe said.

“We know this is a stressful situation for many athletes and we are trying to provide meaningful assistance to as many as possible as quickly as possible so they can continue to train for the competition season we have now scheduled for August to October, and for next year’s Olympics.”

World 1500m record-holder and Olympic champion Hicham El Guerrouj, who initiated this project and sits on the working group, said the loss of competition had had a huge impact on professional athletes because many relied on prize money to support themselves and their families.

The Fund will support athletes who have met the Tokyo Olympic Games entry standard and will provide welfare grants to be used to cover basic living expenses.