The Sunday Mail
VETERAN swimming coach Malcolm Cocks believes the sport cannot survive without the continued emergence and proper nurturing of black athletes.
The 62-year-old head coach at the Academy of Swimming in Harare believes with proper guidance, the country can have black swimmers at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
“The participation of black swimmers has improved and it needs to be encouraged because they are the future. Swimming cannot afford to continue to be associated with whites only, it should be for everyone.
“This misconception (that swimming is white-dominated in Zimbabwe) is no longer true. I estimate that 70 percent of competitive swimmers in Zimbabwe are black, whereas in South Africa there are no black swimmers in their competitive ranks.
“So, we as a country have come a long way in proving this notion wrong, but a lot still needs to be done,” said Cocks.
Speaking from the United Kingdom where he is on holiday, the veteran coach highlighted that Zimbabwe has some bright swimming prospects.
“We already have some great prospects that are proving themselves at the top age group competitions in South Africa. Remember, South Africa is a force on the world stage and those performances should not be taken lightly.
“The target in the near future is to improve on these performances and get more swimmers into inter-Africa tournaments such as Africa Games, Africa junior and senior champs and even Olympics,” he said.
The Academy of Swimming has the national records breaking trio of Ratidzo Mutangadura (16), Nomvula Mjimba (12) and 17-year-old Sarah Hawgood on its books.
Another product of the academy, James Lawson (19), holds several national records and has already been awarded a scholarship by the International Olympic Committee.
Cocks, who has three decades of coaching experience, notes that lack of funding is stifling development.
“We are trying to attract younger swimmers, who are showing early potential so that they have greater chances to develop. The main obstacle at the moment is the cost barrier as financing comes from the swimmers’ parents. If we could get some sort of sponsorship we could be able to help a few more top juniors who are financially challenged,” he said.
Swimmers pay $ 2 000 fees for a season’s training at the academy.
