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Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter 

THE National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe (Naaz) is in the process of repairing the White City Stadium Time Tronics Electronic Timing System which has been lying idle for years now.

The electronic timing system has had limited use since its installation for the 2014 African Union Sports Council Region Five (5) Youth Games in the city.

Some antennae which are used to detect a false start and the link between the video wall and the computer malfunctioned and the machine underwent some repairs by Belgian engineer Eddie Vanyutven last year but there remain some areas that need to be fixed. 

Venyutven is from Time Tronics who installed the system in 2014. 

The system includes a wireless false start detector, windspeed ultrasonic wind measurement, Macphoto finish timing scoreboard, LED field scoreboard, starting blocks and video wall.

Bab chairperson Watson Madanyika says the only outstanding issue for now is the photo finish camera which they are in the process of fixing.

“The camera was sent to Belgium for repairs in February. They are working on the machine and we are waiting for it to return. The camera is the one which takes pictures from the field to the computer hence it is a key component of the system. In the meantime we are also making efforts to educate our officials on how the system works to make things easier when the system gets up and running,” said Madanyika.

Naaz wants athletes to start training using the electronic timing system so that they know their actual times compared to current distorted ones.

Once in use the system will also help schools and tertiary institution athletes looking for scholarships abroad as they will be able to submit electronically printed times required at that level.

When the system was installed in 2014, contractors failed to meet the deadline for completion of the athletics track at White City, leaving only a 100m stretch meeting international standards. 

The remaining 300m was meant to be removed and properly re-laid after the 2014 Games, but the unavailability of funds has stalled the project. 

In September 2018, a fire at White City Stadium’s B-Arena destroyed some of the unlaid track left over from the shoddy work of 2014. – @innocentskizoe