The Sunday Mail
Tinashe Kusema Deputy Sports Editor
TENDAI TAGARA is not content with just retaining his Athletics Zimbabwe presidency and has wasted no time in trying to light a fire under his constituency.
Tagara was one of the talking points of last weekend’s elective general meeting during which he was unopposed and secured his third term of office.
He, however, lost two of his long-serving allies and board members in Salatial Zangure and Enias Nhoro. Nhoro and Zangure lost out on the vice president and treasurer seats to Masvingo’s Titus Madzingo and Matabeleland North’s Enock Ngwenya respectively. For Tagara, it was smooth sailing and the seasoned administrator and veteran coach is ready to continue the work that he began some eight years ago when he first stepped into office.
Continuity is key.
“I was confident that I would get another term of office, and this all boils down to the work we had done during our previous two terms,” said Tagara.
“If you look at our first term, the main goal was to set a foundation and create stability within the organisation.
“I would like to believe that we achieved that as we didn’t pick any fights with the Sports and Recreation Commission, Zimbabwe Olympic Committee or the IAAF, and remain in good standing with all those organisations.
“We made a resolution that during our term of office we will not be handling any money from sponsors and will only come in as a technical arm whose main mandate is to source out funds.”
It is Tagara’s belief that these resolutions were solely responsible for his re-election and now that the elections are behind him, the time has come to move a gear up.
He wants to look more into home-grown athletes and improve the quality and quantity of the athletes Zimbabwe is producing.
“With our foundation and brand now set in stone, it is time we start to perform.
“This will be the goal for the third term.
“Over the years we have had so many brilliant athletes that went to the United States where they trained with the best coaches and best facilities but still fail to perform. Gone are the days of celebrating mediocrity where we one breaks records in the heats or quarter-finals and we cheer.
“We now want semi-finals and finals and podium finishes.
“We will be looking more at home-grown athletes, like the Zimbabwe relay team that qualified for the World Relay Championships in Japan last year, and try to help them,” he said.
Just days after getting another nod to lead the association, Tagara has hit the ground running as the seasoned administrator is already looking at the re-scheduled Olympic Games in Japan.
“The Olympics are just around the corner, we have already started working towards qualification.
“We currently have a strategy that will thin out the herd and produce elite athletes who are sure to qualify.
“Already, we have Munyaradzi Jari in Kenya at the Nike High Performance Centre in preparation for the Olympic qualifiers.
“We hope to send two more marathon runners there, and make sure we have a full marathon men’s team at the Games like we had in Rio and at the last World Championships (in Qatar),” Tagara said.
They are hoping the re-scheduling of the Olympics owing to the Covid-19 pandemic will prove to be a blessing in disguise for Zimbabwe’s athletes and see more of them qualifying for the global sporting showcase.
Ends
