Zimpapers Logo

Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
THE National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe (Naaz) is planning to hold three training camps for athletes that will represent the country in the Africa Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5 Under-20 Games set for December in Lesotho.

Naaz has already selected a provisional squad for the regional games.

The athletics motherbody has applied to the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) for permission to hold three camps starting this month.

Naaz national director of coaching and talent identification development Phakamile Lisimathi said they intend to hold four-day camps this month and next month, followed by a longer one in December.

“In as far as preparations for the AUSC Region 5 Under-20 Games are concerned, selections have been done. Right now we are preparing for training camps for the team to sharpen their skills and get them quickly back to shape since their season was affected by Covid-19.

“How our plans will progress will be guided by the SRC. Our idea is to have the October and November camps starting on a Thursday morning and ending on Sunday. The last day of the camp will be reserved for competition to give us an idea on the progress of the athletes,” said Lisimathi.

Naaz took a risk by assembling a squad for the regional competitions without athletes preparing for examinations. This means they will send an understrength squad to the games.

Countries expected to participate in the Lesotho Games are Angola, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, Swaziland, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. — @ZililoR