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Lovemore Dube,[email protected]

WILLIAM Chuwa a jumps and officiating legend in Chamber of Mines track and field championships believes small mines must be involved in the reviving of sport.

Mines were once the backbone of sport in the country with most top athletes coming from them to represent the country in such competitions as the Commonwealth and Olympic Games.

Big names that came from the mining establishments and represented the country include Benard Dzoma, Mathias Kanda, Rabson Mlombe, Partson Muderedzi, Njere Shumba, Chrispen Mutakanyi Savieri Ngidhi and Abel Nkhoma who was the flagbearer at Zimbabwe’s inaugural Olympics participation in Moscow, Russia in 1980.

Chamber of Mines Championships that involved track and field, track cycling and tug of war have not been held for over a decade due to economic challenges for the mines.

In an interview at Zvishavane Lions Club on Tuesday evening, Chuwa said small mines are being engaged with a view of them coming on board. He said they are potential players in the way forward for Zimbabwe mines’ sport.

“Talking about Chamber of Mines today minus small mines, will not have the impact, small mines are being approached from all provinces. Stakeholders are being consulted, Chamber of Mines has been approached,” said Chuwa.

Chuwa said they had already found one sponsor who is promoting the engagement of small scale miners.

The absence of sound athletics activity within mines he said had left a void in the sport.

“The Chamber of Mines were the backbone of athletics in the country. Sponsorship was in abundance at that time, why it was in abundance it was all the mines promoted Chamber of Mines Athletics.

“Back in those days Rio Tinto and Eiffel Flats, Mhangura Copper Mines it included Alaska Mine, Ziscosteel was a big mine and Hwange Colliery, we used to have small mines like Gwayi River Mine who used to participate in Chamber of Mines including Kamativi in Matabeleland North.

“We had very big names like Njere Shumba who used to run for Ziscosteel, there is Partson Muderedzi of Ziscosteel, Kenias Tembo, Bernard Dzoma and Boniface Magodo who ran for Rio Tinto, there was Adon Treva and Zephaniah Ncube very prominent from Hwange. It has left a void, athletics is never what it used to be,” lamented Chuwa. 

Post school and tertiary education, mines provided the highest number of participants in the sport.

In the absence of vibrant mining athletics activity, the sport is poorer.