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Ricky Zililo Senior Sports Reporter
THERE would be no boxers in Team Zimbabwe’s Africa Games contingent following failure by their leaders to submit records of their athletes.

This is a blow for amateur boxers who were hoping to represent the country at the continental games set to run from September 4-19 in Congo-Brazzaville.

Marketing and publicity manager for Team Zimbabwe, Dave Simba said the country would be represented in 12 sporting codes – athletics, beach volleyball, cycling, football (men), gymnastics, judo, karate, swimming, tennis, taekwondo, rugby and sport for people living with disabilities.

About 100 athletes will travel to Congo-Brazzaville.

“We’re in the process of harnessing resources for athletes who will participate in 12 sporting codes. We’ve already done an induction for team coaches and managers whose disciplines will represent the country at the Africa Games,” said Simba.

“One sporting discipline that will not be travelling for the games is boxing. This is because its association failed to provide statistics relating to qualifying for the continental competition. Without statistics there’s nothing that can be done because we’ve to send athletes whom we know are potential medalists based on qualification statistics,” he said.

Amateur pugilists who were hoping to be part of Team Zimbabwe can only blame the Zimbabwe Amateur Boxing Association who failed to organise qualification tournaments.

Earlier indications were that boxing had been given five slots with its coach Mpilisi Moyo already assembling a squad.

“We’ve been monitoring progress of boxers and because of the number required by the SRC, we’ll be taking only male boxers. This has also been influenced by the fact that our women need time to develop into quality boxers who can represent the country at international competitions. To afford ourselves time to adequately prepare, we’ll select our boxers from the flyweight, welterweight and bantamweight divisions. It’s in these three divisions where the country’s prospects for medals are,” said Moyo, oblivious of the fact that boxing has been struck off Team Zimbabwe’s list.

Some of the boxers that Moyo had been hoping would make the squad are welterweight pugilists Future Maziya of Hwange, Nketa’s Brighton Masiyambumbi and the Midlands duo of Prince Carter and Liberty Muneri.

Trade Nkomozabo of Masvingo, who won gold at the Zimbabwe National Youth Games and fights in the flyweight division, as well as Lobengula’s Wiseman Tshuma were in Moyo’s plans.

The Hwange-based coach had also been monitoring the progress of Brendon Dennis of Mashonaland East as well as Zimbabwe National Army’s Ndodana Moyo and Prosper Shumba.