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Raymond Jaravaza
AN Athletics race organiser has been arrested for defrauding more than 150 athletes that had registered to take part in a marathon scheduled to take part in Mutare.
Moses Maguchu was arrested earlier this week in Mutare and charged with fraud.
Allegations against Maguchu are that he organised a race called the Christmas Pass Vumba Half Marathon sometime last year and sent out fliers to athletes advertising the event. The race, a 21-kilometre and 10-kilometre marathon, was scheduled for September last year and each participant was supposed to pay a registration fee of US$10.
The race had been organised under the Cheetahs Athletics Club banner. According to the flier seen by B-Metro Sport, the winner of the 21-kilometre race would take home US$500, the runner-up pocketing US$400 while the third-placed athlete would receive US$300.
A total of 10 athletes would receive prize monies. In the 10-kilometre race, the winner had been promised US$250, the runner-up receiving US$150 with the third placed winner walking away with US$100. Seven other athletes would also take home various prize monies.
“About 160 athletes registered to rake part in the race and we were excited because the prize monies were good so a lot of athletes from Bulawayo, Harare, Masvingo and other places were keen to take part in the race.
“As marathon athletes, we know each other across the country so were excited to take part in the race and looked forward to meeting in Mutare,” an aggrieved athlete told B-Metro Sport.
According to the athlete, the race was postponed to November and no explanation was given by the event organisers.
“The race was postponed again for the second time to 11 February 2023 and that’s when we started asking ourselves if we had been taken for a ride. Mr Maguchu would not give us a satisfactory explanation why the race kept on being postponed and some athletes started demanding refunds for their registration fees,” explained the athlete.
Pressed by the athletes for refunds, Maguchu is said to have sent out another flier, which stated that the organisers of the race were not obliged to refund anyone who decided to pull out of the race.
“The prize monies had also been changed, the winner of the 21-kilometre race was now supposed to get US$100, which makes no sense at all. How can a marathon runner from Bulawayo travel all the way to Mutare, using their own transport, to run for US$100?
“So, we reported the matter to the Athletics Commission because we felt that we had been robbed by the organisers and we wanted our registration fees back,” she said.
Maguchu was charged with fraud under case number 5416091 by Mutare Central Police.
Athletics Commission chairman Dickson Kamungeremu confirmed that Maguchu was arrested for fraud and promised to furnish B-Metro Sport with the finer details.
He had not done so by Thursday afternoon despite repeated calls on his cellphone.
ENDS/
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