The Judo Association of Zimbabwe (JAZ) has begun steps towards competing at the 2016 Olympic Games to be staged in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
REPORT BY MICHAEL MADYIRA
Zimbabwe’s last representation in judo at the quadrennial global sporting event was in Barcelona Games in Spain 20 years ago.
With Rio being four years away, JAZ has already started laying groundwork for a return to the global stage, with the first giant step being last week’s instructors’ course conducted by European Judo Union sports director Densign White.
The seventh Dan Briton and three-time Olympian took 20 local instructors for a five-day international Level One coaching course at the Innovate High Performance Centre in Harare.
White, who is also the British Judo Association chairman, was brought into the country by the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee through the Olympic Solidarity programme.
JAZ president, Debi Jeans said the course ran by White equipped local coaches and would also immensely benefit athletes.
“Our aim is to empower local instructors with international certification and help them set up their own clubs around the country. We want them to be full-time coaches and make a living through judo. We are receiving tremendous help from the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee,” said Jeans.
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She said they were already developing prospective judokas who could represent the country in Rio.
“We are currently working on our long-term athlete development plan at grass roots and elite level. We have started a four-year plan where we are working with athletes whom we have identified for the Olympic training cycle,” said Jeans.
Lazarus Arufandika and Sy-dney Chibwaye have so far emerged as bright prospects to earn Olympics qualification, with 19-year-old Arufandika claiming a bronze medal at the African Junior Championships held in Botswana last month.
The judokas would however have to spend more time competing on the international circuit to help them gain experience as well as earning enough points to qualify for the Olympics. Association to engage Federation The association has also set out to engage the International Judo Federation to assist them in employing a full-time coach who would be resident in the country.
Zimbabwe’s judo Olympics history saw the country sending two judokas, Johnny DeWet and Frans Fyfer, to the Moscow Games in 1980, while James Simbenge, Patrick Matangi and Jeans took part at the 1988 Seoul edition.
Jeans and Mutangi were back at the global sporting fiesta in 1992 in Barcelona and had the chance to train with White in Great Britain before the Games.
