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Lovemore Dube Senior Sports Editor
DAILLES Bingadadi, the Bulawayo Athletics Board secretary, believes Harare’s dominance of the local track and field scene will soon be over following the construction of a tartan track at White City Stadium.The stadium renovation was one of the biggest legacy benefits out of the city’s hosting of the Africa Union Region 5 Under-20 Youth Games early this month.

Bingadadi – in Manicaland for the holidays – told Chronicle Sport that they were raring to go to really make use of the facility.

“There is so much excitement about White City. We had very good crowds during the Youth Games and we should not lose momentum, Bulawayo people showed that they like athletics as they came in numbers,” said Bingadadi.

With White City now in the state it is and boasting of good timing equipment, Bingadadi expressed confidence that a number of events would be held in the City of Kings. She said schools and tertiary institutions should take advantage of the facility and expose athletes to the best there is.

“Even schools and colleges should make use of the facility. This is a chance for Bulawayo athletics and we hope we’ll see our kids and athletes making national impressions and going all the way to represent their country at the international stage.

“This is a big boost for Bulawayo athletics. We’ll end Harare’s dominance, a lot of events will be held in Bulawayo and our own athletes should take advantage of that,” she said.

She challenged coaches to raise the standards of Bulawayo athletics.

Bingadadi said with White City Stadium available, schools and tertiary institutions should consider taking their meetings there.

The administrator said the provincial board would meet on January 10 to map the way forward.

She said they hope by then the national calendar would be out so that they have a clue which events to slot when.

The cross country series, she said, would be the year’s opening competitions next month with athletes preparing for the nationals set for February at a venue still to be announced.

Hopes are high that Bulawayo could play host to the national championships at once popular venue – the Hillside Dams.

Athletics was one of the biggest drawcards of the Youth Games with an average of 8,000 fans, figures only second to the once popular Chamber of Mines Track, Cycling and Tug of War championships where mines stadia would be full to the rafters.

Many believe that the city that produced former national 400m record holders Arnold Payne and Lewis Banda will see its athletics open a new chapter with the birth of new world beaters.