Siphakeme .Mnindwa
Ellina Mhlanga, Zimpapers Sports Hub
NATIONAL Athletics Association of Zimbabwe president, Tendayi Tagara, has announced that new commissions and committees will be established before the end of the month.
These bodies will oversee a variety of upcoming programmes and competitions.
The previous governance commission, marketing commission, women’s committee, development committee, selectors committee and coaches committee were dissolved last month.
With a new executive in place following last October’s elections, Naaz is now focused on the future of athletics in the country.
While some members of the previous commissions and committees may be reappointed, Naaz is committed to ensuring continuity while also bringing in new ideas and approaches to aid the development of athletics in the country.
“The dissolution is to make sure that after the Olympic cycle, you have strategised for that cycle. And these commissions have mandates of what your objective is (as an association) and what you want to achieve. So, they help you to achieve your mandate for the four years that you will be in office,” said Tagara.
“As an executive, we are busy now looking at how best we can constitute the commissions. Some members of the commissions will definitely come back. We will be looking at how much service you have given,” he said.
Some of the major events for this year include the World Championships scheduled for September in Tokyo, Japan.
Naaz has indicated that major competitions such as the World Meet will be key in building up for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
Tagara emphasised the importance of the various commissions towards fulfilling their mandate.
“The commissions help in the running of the organisation…There is no centralisation of power from one area. The national executive cannot run the organisation on its own.
“They bring ideas. They are the foot soldiers of the organisation in terms of our operations, how best we can do it,” Tagara said.
The local season got underway with provinces such as Harare holding their season opener cross country last Sunday.
They are gearing up for their first track and field championships scheduled for this weekend at the University of Zimbabwe while Bulawayo is scheduled to get its programme rolling this weekend when it stages a cross country event.
Harare Athletic Board vice chairperson, Aaron Whyte, hopes to see improved numbers for the track and field meet after a low turnout for Sunday’s cross country.
“There is definitely a bias towards track and field. Our sprinters didn’t come for the cross country because they know that they have got track next weekend.
“This is an important year because we have got World Relays coming up, we have got World Championships coming up, we have got the Southern African Senior Championships coming up and we also have got the Africa Junior Championships coming up.
“So obviously, they have now set their eyes on qualifying for those major events. We are expecting large numbers, and it will be the last weekend before kids go back to school,” Whyte said.
The juniors will compete in the Confederation of African Athletics Under-18/Under-20 Championships in April, in Algeria and the African Union Sports Council Region 5 Youth Games set for Namibia in May.
mbulelo smpofu
