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Lovemore Zigara Midlands Sports Correspondent
WEIGHTLIFTING Federation of Zimbabwe (WFZ) have picked a six-member team which will represent the country at the 11th African Games to be held in Congo-Brazzaville in September.

The Zimbabwean contingent will have four men and two women, Moses Issa, Bassaniel Chendambuya, Tichaona Chikwanha and Partson Chatedzika. Thule Leneyye and Leorna Musikavanhu complete Team Zimbabwe in the discipline for the Games.

Team manager Keith Chirimanzi said the team is expected to start vigorous training in April under the guidance of assistant national team coach, Craig Bonthrone.

“We selected a relatively new side since there hasn’t been much which has been happening in as far as weightlifting is concerned in the country. The six athletes we selected for the All-Africa Games are going to be used as the backbone in the revitalisation of the sport in the country which has been in the doldrums since 2013.

“The team is going to camp at the beginning of April under the national team assistant coach, Craig Bonthrone, while we wait for the arrival of national team coach Phillip Jeans from the United States. We will also run a series of workshop to weightlifting enthusiasts during the camping of the team at Rolph Valley as part of talent scouting,” he said.

As part of efforts to revive the sport WFZ has approached the Egyptian and Japanese embassies to ask for technical support to train local coaches in all the country’s provinces.

WFZ president Claude Shambare said they have been moving around the country putting up structures.

He said: “There hasn’t been much which has been happening since weighlifting was divorced from the bodybuilding association. But you will realise that there’s not much difference between the two disciplines because people who are in bodybuilding are most likely involved in weightlifting.

“We therefore moved around the country setting up structures and so far we now have structures in Harare, Bulawayo, Masvingo, Gweru and Marondera and we’re still pushing.”

Powerlifting and weightlifting are among a number of disciplines that have failed to develop in Zimbabwe.