ZOC to step up London preps

The London Games will run from July 27 to August 12, 2012 and Zimbabwe’s preparations for the world’s biggest sporting showcase are already on course with some of the Zimbabwean athletes having already qualified while others are participating in qualifying competitions.
So far five athletes – track and field star Ngonidzashe Makusha, long-distance runner Cutbert Nyasango, star swimmer Kirsty Coventry and rowers Micheen Thornycroft and Jamie Fraser Mckenzie have already qualified for the London Games.
Zimbabwe are not just looking at taking a bigger team to next year’s Olympic Games but are also hoping to harvest for more medals coming from different disciplines.
For the past two editions of the Olympic Games held in 2004 in Athens, Greece, and in 2008 in Beijing, China, Zimbabwe got their medals (seven) through one athlete – swimming sensation Coventry.
ZOC chief executive, Anna Mguni, yesterday said, they are confident that everything will go well as they prepare for the 2012 London Games.
“When we look at the fact that this is the Olympic year (2012), obviously our preparations will have to go up. As an organisation, we have put a number of things in place and it’s going to be a year to show what we have been putting in place.
“And this includes making sure that the chef de mission is in place, identifying the athletes, some of whom are on the Olympic Solidarity scholarship.
“We are also hoping that more athletes will set qualifying times or standards for the Games (before July next year),” Mguni said.
The ZOC boss said they will also do their best to support these athletes.
“We have offered support to our athletes where we can and we are looking forward to participating. So far five athletes have qualified (for the London Games).
“We are looking forward to more athletes qualifying and we have Chris Felgate in triathlon standing in a good position. We look forward to him qualifying.
“We also have Nicole Horn and Tim Ferris in swimming, we look forward to their positive qualification. Ngoni (Makusha) will try to qualify for the men’s 100m event.
“There is also (sprinters) Gabriel Mvumvure, Brian Dzingai and Malvin Bonde, to name, but just a few.
“We also have Takanyi Garanganga. His qualification will be confirmed by the International Tennis Federation. We are looking forward to him making his maiden appearance at the Olympic Games.
“There is a lot of possibilities and we are very optimistic because our athletes have put in so much.
“As an organisation, as far as resources are concerned, we are going to support the athletes but it’s like a vicious circle because we rely on people to give us support and the athletes rely on us for support and also we rely on the athletes to go to the Games and bring medals,” said Mguni.
ZOC have a proposed budget of US$500 000 that will cater for the country’s participation at next year’s Olympic Games.
Mguni said they are hoping to engage the corporate world and are optimistic that they will reach the target.
“We are definitely hoping to get more sponsorship for the Games. We are still at negotiation phase but we look forward to a very positive response.
“The team that goes to the Olympics is not just an Olympics team but it’s a national team.
“We are very optimistic that we will reach our target in terms of numbers (and) we will be in a better position once we are done with the negotiations we are having.
“Sometimes sponsorship comes in form of cash, kits and medical personnel . . . There is so much that comes in.”
The ZOC chief executive said besides their preparations for the London Games, they are also looking forward to a busy year as usual with various programmes in place such as the administration and technical courses they conduct annually to build capacities of sports administrators, coaches and athletes.