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BY Brian Nkiwane
ZIMBABWE Paralympic Committee (ZPC) has finally decided to take part in the Nedbank Championships that are set for Durban, South Africa from March 24 to 28.
The decision means that the country will not participate at the Tunisian Championships to be held during the same period.
ZPC has been reeling under financial constraints, hence their decision to go to South Africa which is closer and cheaper in terms of transport and other logistics.
The association’s secretary general Lewis Garaba said the committee is pinning its hope on All Africa Games medalist Nyaradzai Tagarira.
Tagarira, who runs in the visually impaired short distance category, won a silver medal at the All Africa Games that were held in Mozambique last year in September.
Garaba said the association was expecting to get a number of medals from track events than field events.
“We have Tagarira who has been in top form since she won a silver medal in Maputo,” he said.
“The only problem that we have been facing regarding Tagarira is that she is still to be classified to her group. But considering her finishing time in Maputo, she was recommended for the London Olympics. If we get classification soon, I hope she will be the first athlete to qualify for the London 2012 Olympics,” Garaba said.
The Nedbank Championship will be used as the last preparation for the London qualifiers.
“This will be the last chance for athletes to show what they are capable of doing so that they can qualify for the London Olympics. As of now we have not selected any single athlete for the event so the door is still open to those who may want to take up the challenge.”
Garaba said they were doing their best to source sponsorship for athletes such as Nyasha Mharakurwa, a wheelchair tennis player who is supposed to play five tournaments in Asia to enable him to qualify for the London Olympics.
“We are running around to see to it that he plays the required number of tournaments before it’s too late.”
Zimbabwe is going to be boosted by the return of Rob Wicken who is looking forward to renounce his Zimbabwean citizenship after spending more than a decade in the United Kingdom.
“He is a fighter, we are looking forward to his dramatic return to our national team,” concluded Garaba.
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