Online Reporter
Takudzwa Chitsiga
Zimbabwe Sports Hub
ZIMBABWE is back in the game.
Ten years after last hosting the region’s top athletes, the country is ready to welcome the continent’s fastest, strongest and most determined competitors for the Southern Region Senior Athletics Championships on July 26 and 27.
The University of Zimbabwe’s track will be the main stage as more than 500 athletes and officials from all 13 SADC countries descend on Harare for two days of serious competition and Olympic dreams. The event is a major milestone for Zimbabwean sport, with organisers confident that the return to hosting duties signals a resurgence for local athletics.
“We are happy to be hosting this event, and this is no ordinary event, it’s the return of a high-profile championship we last hosted some 10 years ago,” said Cynthia Phiri, secretary general of the National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe (NAAZ).
“As we mark a critical milestone in our journey toward hosting the CAA Southern Region Senior Athletics Championships, we are glad to say that we are more than ready. The University of Zimbabwe track has been inspected, and only minor enhancements are left for full compliance with World Athletics standards. So we are ready to host the games.”
Support has poured in from key institutions. The Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) and the Ministry of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture are backing the tournament, with Sports Commission acting director of development Shepherd Mukanhairi reaffirming their full support. The Zimbabwe Olympic Committee also weighed in, with chief executive officer Marlene Gadzirayi linking the event to the country’s long term sporting ambitions.
“We are happy for this defining moment in Zimbabwean athletics,” said Gadzirayi. “We’re still celebrating our athletes’ recent performances at the Region 5 Youth Games in Namibia. Our young men and women in athletics scooped an impressive 42 medals across sprints, middle distance races, relays and field events. We’re reclaiming our place as a continental athletics hub, and this is the right time.
“This championship isn’t just about medals and records. It’s a critical step for many athletes preparing for the 2025 World Athletics Championships and the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. The road to the Olympics starts here and Zimbabwe is the launchpad.”
With less than two weeks to go, the track is nearly set, the flags are ready to rise, and Harare is preparing to host the region’s finest. After years on the side-lines, Zimbabwe is running full speed back into the heart of African athletics.
