AFTER 14 years at the helm of athletics in Zimbabwe, Joseph Mungwari has finally decided to call it quits after pulling out of weekend elections at the National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe (NAAZ).
NewsDay Editorial
To say athletics is dead in Zimbabwe would be an understatement of the century. Save for the schools calendar in the first term, there is no sport to talk about, let alone its administration.
It has been dead for a long time and one remembers the bold decision by then Sports and Recreation Commission boss Wilfred Pawadyira to de-register the association in 2000 when it was all clear they were contravening their own constitution.
During that time Mungwari was away and the likes of Thabani Gonye took the sport to greater heights under the Athletics Zimbabwe banner. Many an athlete was born from the various development programmes and academies across the country.
Unfortunately, or fortunately for some, Mungwari was reinstated in 2004 and, well, the rest is history. Save for Samukeliso Moyo, Sharon Tawengwa, Wirimai Zhuwawo and the rest of the veterans, there have been no newcomers in the sport.
The association cannot even claim the likes of Dumisani Bhebhe and Sithulisiwe Zhou, let alone Ngoni Makusha. All these have been nurtured through efforts by parents and academies.
With this in mind, it is pertinent to remind the newly-elected president Tendai Tagara that there is a long way to go before the sport can rediscover its glory.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
This is a sport which used to compete with football in terms of popularity, but now is even less popular than basketball. While Tagara is a respected talent-identification administrator, following the dangerous and non-developmental traits of the past leaders would be suicidal.
We demand programmes that will take the sport back to the people and the sponsors and programmes that will unearth talent every season.
We have the Zone Six Games, All-Africa Games and the Olympic events where we need competitive representation and the journey starts now.
There is no time to lose, but time to work and reassure the athletics community that the winds of change are blowing already.
We know for a fact that the International Association of Athletics Federations provides grants for member associations, but we have no idea how much has been given to Zimbabwe since no books of accounts were made available for scrutiny.
NAAZ is the first association, every January, to provide a calendar of events, but few of those events are actually held.
Surely when a country as small as Botswana can produce a medallist at the Olympics Games, then it means we are falling short of our expectations and we need an immediate paradigm shift.
Athletics is an industry the world over, but in Zimbabwe, it’s being run like a schools sports day. Zimbabwe deserves better.
