adminHarare Bureau
THE Zimbabwe National Paralympic Committee says they are now targeting the Tunis International Meeting – the IPC Athletics Grand Prix set for March in Tunisia – as a platform for more athletes to qualify for the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Games are scheduled for September 7 to 18 and Zimbabwe so far has two athletes – Laina Sithole and Shepherd Gumede – who qualified for the world’s biggest paralympic event in athletics during the African Games in September.
The meet in Tunis is scheduled to run from March 24 to 27 with the classification set for 24 to 26 of the same month. The actual competition is on March 27.
Sithole qualified in the 100m and 200m T13 while Gumede made it in the 400m T13. The national paralympic committee recently held a week-long camp for 13 athletes they still hope will meet the qualifying standards as part of their periodic camps, which are expected to continue next year.
ZNPC secretary-general Lewis Garaba said they are hoping to send at least six athletes to the event in Tunis.
“We are hoping to have another camp probably in the last week of January and in March hope to go to Tunisia for the Tunis International Meeting where almost all African countries and some European countries will be competing.
“We are going there mainly for classification and qualification. We are hoping to send about six athletes so we still have chances of more athletes qualifying for the Games after Laina and Shepherd qualified at the African Games in Congo Brazzaville, said Garaba.
Online Reporter