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Lovemore Dube Senior Sports Editor
WHITE City Stadium will play host to its first major athletics event since the December Africa Union Sports Council Region 5 Under-20 Youth Games when the National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe holds its competitions on Saturday.

It will be the first time that the electronic timing system will be used.

A fortnight ago there was a track and field event but the equipment, the latest on the market in the global sport, was not used because the organisers had little time to make arrangements with the local organising committee.

Manuel Mpofu, the Bulawayo Athletics Board boss, confirmed last night that they would stage a big athletics event and the latest technology in capturing times would be used.

Elkanah Dube, the local organising committee chief executive officer for the Games, confirmed in a letter to Mpofu and his committee that they would use the facility and equipment.

“The National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe (Naaz) has been given the go ahead to use the White City Stadium and equipment for their athletics competitions as per the above date (February 21, 2015), by the Ministry of Sport, Arts and Culture. We therefore kindly request your esteemed office to facilitate the process,” wrote Dube yesterday.

An elated Mpofu said: “We want all the 0athletes to come. This is the last chance for juniors to qualify for the African Junior (Under-20) Athletics Championships to be held in Ethiopia as from March 5-8. The African Youth (Under-18) Championships will be held in Mauritius from April 23-26”.

He added that the seniors would also have a chance to qualify for the Southern Region Senior Championships to be held in either Mozambique or Namibia.

Mpofu said they would start collecting the equipment from the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair where most of the stuff used in December is being kept pending handover to a tripartite committee.

All the events, he said, would be on offer except pole vault.

“It (pole vault) requires a lot of equipment to be carried. So much has to be ferried to the venue. In future competitions we’ll make sure we have it,” said Mpofu.

He said the event would also celebrate President Mugabe’s birthday.

“We’re therefore inviting all Zimbabwean athletes regardless of whether they’re at a club, college, school or university to come to the Saturday event. It’s an important athletics competition where cadets, juniors and seniors will be vying for national team slots,” said Mpofu.

He said he was confident that his province’s athletes would emulate the pair of Bismark Ndlovu and Patience Gurure who made it into the Zimbabwe cross-country team for the Southern Region Championships set for Malawi this weekend.

Nyasha Charandura, Yvonne Vanhuvaone, Thando Maphosa, Simbarashe Taderera, Cynthia Taderera Sandra Taderera, Nigel Tom and David Tinago are some of the top athletes expected to take part in the event.

Mpofu said there would also be the Coca-Cola Four Minute Mile Challenge trials in which six athletes are expected to progress to the finals at the ZITF Main Arena in April.

Simbarashe Taderera, Tendai Zimuto, Trust Hove, Munyaradzi Jari, Thando Maphosa and Boniface Jack have already qualified having run qualifying events within the four minutes 31 seconds barrier.

The refurbishment of White City Stadium into an international standard venue is expected to give athletics, especially track and field, a new lease of life.

There were big crowds during the Africa Union Sports Council Region 5 Under-20 Youth Games in December.

It is because of Minister Andrew Langa’s hard work and President Mugabe’s insistence on Bulawayo being the hosts that Mpofu and the region are now celebrating.

“We hope sponsors will now come on board and help grow athletics in the country. The talent is there and we’ve well qualified coaches and event managers,” said Mpofu.