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Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
THE National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe’s 2016 season gets underway with two races being held in Harare this weekend.

The youth cross country race on Saturday will mark the official start of the athletics season that will run up to December 31. On Sunday, the youths will take to the National Sports Stadium’s B Arena for the Naaz track and field championship.

“We are expecting a big turnout and are encouraging all school children to attend before they go back to school as we kick start a long season that will end in December with the Youth Games in Angola,” said Tendai Tagara, the Naaz president.

A massive 73 events have been lined up for this year’s athletics’ calendar in what should be Naaz’s busiest year.

The Bulawayo Athletics Board’s first competition will be a marathon that will begin and end at Mpopoma High School this weekend.

Bulawayo’s track and field athletics competition will be held on Saturday January 16 at White City Stadium, with the last January weekend being reserved for cross country events in all the 10 provinces.

The first continental race will be the Confederation of African Athletics set for Yaoundé, Cameroon, on March 12.

The United States of America will play host to the first International Association of Athletics Federations when it hosts the World Indoor Championships from March 17-20.

April will be the busiest month with 10 races lined up, among them the exciting Zimbabwe International Trade Fair four-minute mile.

May begins with the All-Women Championship race in Marondera as well as the World Walk race set for Cheboksary in Russia.

This year’s World Athletics Day for the youths will be held over two days from May 21-22 at Kuredza School in Kadoma.