Zimbabwe: Country Selects 18 Events

Augustine Hwata

1 July 2011

Zimbabwe has undertaken to enter 18 sporting disciplines out of the 23-medal events on offer at the All-Africa Games in Mozambique this year.

The deadline for provisional registration for Team Zimbabwe was yesterday with Chef de Mission, Custom Kachambwa saying all but four associations had submitted their lists.

“We are looking at sending 82 male athletes and 88 females.

“So in total this could be 170 athletes for the 18 sport codes and most of these have so far provided their lists.

“Basically the lists are for the people who have qualified for the All-Africa Games so that we move into the accreditation.

“The deadline is today (yesterday) for those who have not submitted and we are hoping that they will do so by the end of the day,” said Kachambwa.

Kachambwa said athletics, canoeing, chess and badminton had not yet submitted their list of athletes.

“Some of the athletes are outside the country and if the association does not provide the lists on time we might have to follow it up with the individual athletes but that is not the best route.

“We are also failing to get in touch with the contact person in canoeing,” said Kachambwa.

Kachambwa said the provisional number was for 88 male athletes, including 20 soccer players from the Under-23 team.

The Under-23 team are in the running for a place in Maputo as they have reached the final qualifier, facing South Africa at Rufaro on July 10.

The Young Warriors lost the reverse fixture 2-0 in Johannesburg and would need to overturn the tables.

“Hopefully the men’s soccer team will qualify but if they do not, then we have to remove the 20 athletes,” he said.

Zimbabwe is likely to be represented in athletics, badminton, baseball, boxing, canoeing, chess, cycling, football, judo, karate, netball, sailing, sports for people with disability, swimming, table tennis, lawn tennis, taekwondo and triathlon.

While most of the associations had submitted their lists ahead of yesterday’s deadline, Kachambwa said there was need for a further verification of the qualifying standards.

“We have put in place a verification committee for over all the 18 associations.

“It’s one thing to say someone has qualified and it’s another thing to qualify,” said Kachambwa.

Officials, who fall outside the proposed 170 athletes, will also be verified.

“There is need to look at the officials so that people go on merit,” said Kachambwa.

Team Zimbabwe have also proposed a budget for the Games.

“We have done our budget and it’s now in place.

“So far the government has made funds available to use for issues to attend to now.

“We are also approaching the corporate sector and the responses have started coming,” said Kachambwa.

A tender for the kit is also being invited as the Sports Commission intensifies Zimbabwe’s preparedness for the Games in nearby Mozambique.

The Games will run from September 3 to 18 with 48 African countries expected to have athletes.

AllAfrica – All the Time