ZOC hopeful of Team Zim

ZIMBABWE Olympic Committee president, Admire Masenda, is optimistic some of the local athletes at the African Games will make the Olympics in Japan.

The ZOC are targeting a team of between eight to 20 athletes for next year’s Olympics in Japan.

This is the first time the African Games are acting as Olympic qualifiers for several sports.

“First of all, these are, for us, a major milestone because ANOCA, which is our parent continental body is managing the Games for the first time,’’ said Masenda. ‘’This is a partnership now that’s come through between the AU and ANOCA.

“So, that’s a big step in that we are involved to enhance the technical side of it and also, hopefully, down the stretch to enable the quality of athletes participating to go to another level because in the past All-Africa Games, your premier athletes generally shunned them.

“This will hopefully work, maybe not so much for these Games but the Games going forward,” said Masenda.

He said they were looking at getting finalists at the Olympics next year.

Zimbabwe last got a medal at the prestigious global show-piece in 2008 through swimming icon Kirsty Coventry, who is now the Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation.

“I still think it’s a transitory process. But one of the things we have a problem with and, I keep talking about that, is we really need to be like other countries and I am talking premier countries in sport. ‘’The have closed the door, they are not talking about Tokyo. The qualifications are done, they are already focusing on 2024 and we are still trying to qualify.

“So, we have got to get to a place as a country where we are six years ahead of the next major competition and that’s our problem.

“We still have to go back to a place where probably the athletes that will participate in 2024 are about 14.

‘’The focus should be there and we should be (looking at) talent identification, taking them through preparations and that focus requires resources . . . people being focused or strategic in terms of their planning,” said Masenda.

The ZOC president said they are rolling out a programme to try and address some of the areas. Masenda saluted the Government for supporting Team Zimbabwe and said they were pleased with the way the build-up to the African Games has gone.