ATHLETICS - Two local top athletes Dumsani Fakudze and Temalangeni Dlamini will attend two high-level training camps in South Africa before they leave for the prestigious Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia next month.
The duo is expected to leave with their coach Eward Ndlangamandla for the training camps.
Swaziland National Sports Council (SNSC) and Swaziland Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association (SOCGA) Strategic Alliance Marketing and Information Manager Mphumelelo Makhubu confirmed the news yesterday.
Makhubu said Fakudze, who throws discus, and Dlamini, who runs the 400m race, will attend the first camp to be held in Bloemfontein before leaving for the second one to be held at an unconfirmed venue.
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“This is one way of ensuring that the team prepares extensively for the Games. They will also attend a week-long training camp at Thokoza Church Youth Centre in Mbabane to get their minds focused before they leave for Melbourne,” he said.
Makhubu explained that the team was also expected to participate in the South African National Championships, where they would gauge their performance.
SNSC/SOCGA Alliance Manager for Olympic and Commonwealth Affairs Darius Dlomo said his organisation would pay all the camping and traveling costs for the team.
“The reason we are doing this is because we want to ensure that we send a strong team to Melbourne. Our athletes have the potential to win medals in Australia. They should get time to prepare extensively so that we don’t blame any inept performance on poor preparations,” he said. Dlomo could not specify the amount of money to be spent on preparing the team.