TANZANIA
AT athletes likely to miss out on Commonwealth Games
By Imani Makongoro,
Local athletes are likely to miss out the Commonwealth Games following Tanzania Athletics (AT) failure to confirm their participation.
The deadline for submitting names of the athletes to the Tanzania Olympics Committee (TOC) was on March 1, but the athletics body has yet to confirm. Briefing reporters, the TOC secretary general, Filbert Bayi said their efforts to remind AT officials were in vain.
[b]“We have been reminding them to submit the names since January, but they decided to ignore us and now it’s too late,” the legendary runner said. According to him, hopes of the athletes to compete in the New Delhi Games were hanging by a thread.
However, he said the AT will now have to confirm before March 31 if they want their athletes to participate in the Commonwealth Games.
“They have to submit the names with accurate qualifying marks, otherwise time is up and the Commonwealth Games committee will not extend their deadline,” he said.
“Our deadline expired more than three weeks ago, but they (AT) can still meet the organisers’ time limit," Bayi mused. [/b]
Efforts to contact AT president for a comment were to no avail, but Bayi said they promised to submit the names yesterday.
He named the bodies that have already confirmed participation as the Tanzania Swimming Association, Boxing Federation of Tanzania, Athletics Tanzania and Tanzania Mainland Disabled Association.
Seventy-one countries are expected to participate in the New Delhi games, which are the 19th edition of the Commonwealth Games, and the ninth to be held under that name. Seventeen disciplines have already been listed for this year’s edition of the Commonwealth Games.
This will be the first time the Games will be held in India and the second time the event has been held in Asia, after Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 1988.