The Sunday News
IN 2003, the international Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) introduced at its congress in Paris, France, a long term development plan for the whole sport of athletics world over, which was designed to be adopted by all member federations, Zimbabwe included.
The Development Plan focused on meeting the needs of the athletes following all stages of Athletics Development with particular introduction and emphasis on the kid athletes aged between seven and 15 years. One of the major objectives of the Athletics World Plan was to make athletics a world wide number one participatory sport in schools. The vision therefore being: – To remain the number one sport for individuals in a changing world.
The team Zimbabwe at the Confederation of Schools Sports Association in Southern Africa (COSSASA), in Botswana, Gaborone, was represented by a contingent of 88 schools athletes between the ages of 14 and 18 made up of one of the finest youths of our generation in the Southern Region both male and female.
Firstly, selecting and coming up with such a huge number calls up for a well organised body made up of highly ethical group of professionals in their own field. To come up with a figure of 88 athletes calls for a serious mobilising of both human and material resources. This only achievement is highly commendable and is in full support of the Athletics World Plan.
Team Zimbabwe, as the defending champion, had all the qualities as well as the pressures to challenge teams from the Southern Region. That in itself made the COSSASA championships more difficult but fascinating. There is no wonder in my mind to read that cheating marred the COSSASA Games, with particular allegations levelled against the host country Botswana; it was because of pressure, and fear of defeat at home.
Team Zimbabwe did not falter or disgrace, they were able to hold their own, in the midst of Botswana changing the goal posts. Coming home with 11 Gold, 22 Silver and 17 Bronze medals was no mean achievement by any standard. The National Anthem was played 11 times and the national flag kept flying 50 times. I sincerely wish to congratulate NASH, NAPH and NAAZ for the job well done; both Ministries of Education and Sports, Arts and Culture deserve to be congratulated for their support.
Zimbabwe need to be congratulated as it is the current present chair under the competent hands of Johnson Madhuku who, ironically is the COSSASA president. As a matter of observation, COSSASA is one of the biggest international competitions being hosted at regional level in the Southern Region of Africa. Cheating and disruption of the smooth flowing of such a very important international event should not be allowed to crip-in, serve for only individual matters which are delt with by a Jury of Appeal without disturbing the Programme of the competition.
As an advice, I suggest that the COSSASA Championships must be run and organised in terms of rules and regulations governing IAAF in total, with the same governing COSSASA. From the look of things one of the important links was either missing or did not work through failure to enforce. The long and short of what I am saying is that:-
The COSSASA regulation is that each participant be a holder of a passport was supposed to have been finalised way back before the date of the competition, by way of meetings or the general circular.
The technical officials were supposed to have enforced this rule at the technical meeting a day or two days before the competition. I think the missing link was the technical officials who could not enforce the regulation.
It is the norm particularly at international competitions that the technical officials enforce the rules and regulations governing that particular competition. The management or the executive of that particular competition will be seized with non technical matters which will not interfere with the smooth running of that particular competition. It is my view in this particular case that other countries on observing that Botswana was doing well fairly or unfairly, they decided to lodge a complaint, but well knowing that in the first place they/themselves technically allowed Botswana to enter athletes using birth certificates instead of passports.
Joseph Mungwari is the National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe Honorary Life President.
