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Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter
THE National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe (Naaz) expects to hold its first event in the last Saturday of September since sporting activities were suspended by the Coronavirus outbreak.

White City Stadium in Bulawayo will host the interprovincial championships where athletes will only compete in track events, as field competitions are still under lockdown.

Athletics is deemed low risk due to its low contact nature and is among sports that have been given the green light to resume activities by the Sports and Recreation Commission.

Naaz held a virtual meeting last Friday to map the way forward for athletics in the country.

“We held our virtual half year meeting last Friday and we resolved that the interprovincial championships will be on the last Saturday of September upon governments approval.

“Also, we we will be working on strengthening communication with athletes through their structures during Covid-19. Our athletes must know what is happening. Right we will be applying to the SRC for permission to go ahead with our events as well as activatiting the Bulawayo Athletics Board (Bab) orgaising committee to get to work,” said Naaz president Tendai Tagara.

“We aslo took a Iook at the last quarter of the year to confirm events that are possible and come up with provisional calenders. In this time we also have to enhence virtual communication.”

Bab chairperson Manuel Mpofu said they were already working towards ensuring a safe return for athletes to the track.

“Now the task is for us to book White City Stadium and at the same time come up with track events which will fit into a two-hour programme because the event will not take more than two hours. Now we have to secure sanitisers and a thermometre, draft a programme, prepare entries, secure accommodation for traveling provinces, have competition officials and secure fumigation liquid for use after the meet,” said Mpofu.

“It’s a big task ahead, but we are prepared and I know we will achieve this and have this done for our athletes who have been waiting for competition,” he said. @innocentskizoe