Zimpapers Logo

Senior Sports Reporter
SIX Matabeleland North districts save for Binga will tomorrow and Friday hold their National Association of Secondary School Heads (Nash) track and field athletics competitions meant to come up with representative district teams for the provincial finals.The geographical location of Binga schools forced Nash to push the inter-zonal competitions to next week so that selected athletes will remain in camp until the provincials set for Hwange Colliery Stadium from March 5-6.

Nash Matabeleland North head-in-charge of athletics, Thabani Nkomo, who is  from Dinyane High School in Tsholotsho,       said distances travelled by athletes to competition venues were too far apart such that it would be difficult for the pupils to travel this week and again next week for camp.

“All our six districts will hold their competitions on Thursday and Friday save for Binga. We realised that schools  are far apart and for pupils to travel  such long distances will be inhumane on our part hence Binga schools will hold  their competitions next week so that their selected athletes will remain  in camp until departure for Hwange,” said Nkomo.

The other districts, Umguza, Hwange, Bubi, Lupane, Nkayi and  Tsholotsho will all be in action at various venues.

Nkomo was hopeful that his province would come up with a    competitive squad to take to the   national finals set for Chiredzi in Masvingo province.

Matabeleland North has previously been affected by lack of standard fields used by athletes from school level with calls for a bidding process to choose competition hosts instead of a rotational system.  Most of the schools have substandard tracks that end up affecting the athletes’ performance at provincial and national meetings.

A case in point was Somhlolo  Stadium in Lupane district whose 400  metres was found to be about 70 metres shorter.