Zone Six coaches selection begins

Sikhumbuzo Moyo
ZIMBABWE yesterday started the selection process for coaches that will take charge of various disciplines at the  Supreme Council for Sport in Africa Zone Six Games that are set to be held in Bulawayo next year. Fifteen countries from Zone Six will compete in 11 sporting disciplines and Team Zimbabwe Chief De Mission, Eugenia Chidakwa said successful candidates will be announced next Tuesday.

“The interviews actually started today (yesterday) in the morning. We called all national associations that will be competing to come up with at least three names supported by CVs,” said Chidakwa, a lecturer at Bindura State University.

The idea of forwarding three different names is meant to avoid situations whereby coaches are changed regularly.
Chidakwa said after the selection process, they will then come up with a training programme for the                   athletes to represent Zimbabwe.

“The Games might be more than a year from now but we are running against time as we have to enter Team Zimbabwe by numbers before the end of the year and then by name at the beginning of next year,” she said.

Chidakwa is deputised by Sebastian Garikayi and Patience Maramba (medical).
She said the recently held Zimbabwe National Youth Games in Bulawayo will be used to select athletes for the various disciplines as well as the different sports associations’ competitions.

The Team Zimbabwe Chef De Mission said the team should be ready before the Masvingo National Youth Games which will be held in August next year.

The 10 disciplines on offer at the Games will be soccer for boys and girls, netball, athletics for able-bodied and for the visually impaired, basketball, boxing, tennis, swimming and judo.

The City of Bulawayo was chosen to play host to the 2014 Supreme Council for Sport in Africa Zone Six Under-20 Youth Games and is expected to play host to 4 000 athletes.

Government is expected to set aside an estimated $42 million, the bulk of which will go towards the construction of residential halls to house 4 000 athletes at the National University of Science and Technology (Nust).
These halls will then be handed over to the university after the Games to accommodate students.

The Games have been hosted by Mozambique 2004, Namibia 2006, South Africa 2008, Swaziland 2010 with Zambia playing host to the fifth edition of the Games last year.