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Harare Bureau
THE Zimbabwe Paralympic Committee held a validation workshop over the weekend in Harare to review their strategic plan as they seek to improve their brand. The workshop, attended by various stakeholders including ZNPC affiliates, was meant to finalise the plan that will guide the national Paralympic committee in running their affairs in the next five years.

ZNPC president, Michael Bulagango, said their major goals include developing their brand and empowering their athletes beyond the playing field. “We had a validation meeting. Our strategic plan was ending in 2015 so we reviewed the plan so that it’s in with what we want.

“We had our first meeting in July last year with our stakeholders so we were filling them with information on what we have. “We were looking at two major goals. The first one is to develop a Paralympic brand because as a brand people are interested in what you’re selling. So it’s one of our major goals and the second goal is about empowering our athletes.

“We want athletes who’ve got experience, athletes who can compete and we’re looking at it in terms of attitudes, performance and contributing to their society. We’re happy there were only a few corrections the facilitator pointed out. So it was approved and we’re going to use it, it’s a five-year plan and we’ll revisit it in 2020.

“We’ve also sent a draft to the International Paralympic Committee and other stakeholders to review it so that we get to know what others have in mind,” said Bulagango.

Bulagango said since they have started their preparations for Rio 2016, they are looking forward to another camp at the end of this month after having the first one in December with 14 athletes.

ZNPC are hoping to compete at the Tunis International Meeting — the IPC Athletics Grand Prix scheduled for March 24 to 27 in Tunisia for qualification and classification. So far Laina Sithole has qualified for the 100m and 200m T13 while Shepherd Gumede made it in the 400m.