{{Ten countries are expected to field their athlets in the forthcoming East and Central Africa Junior Athletics Championship scheduled for Amaan Stadium in Zanzibar.}}
In an interview with The Citizen, the Athletics Tanzania (AT) secretary general, Suleiman Nyambui, said the championship would be exclusive for Under-20 athletes.
The two-day meet, which will involve athletics from powerhouses Kenya and Ethiopia, will commence on June 8.
This will be the first time the regional championship is held at the Amaan Stadium and Zanzibar (considered as a country) will be represented by a sizable number of athletes.
Other countries whose runners will be battling it out for pride and the jackpots at stake are Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania Mainland.
“This is a perfect platform for us to gauge our youngsters ahead of bigger international tournaments.
“The championship will feature over 200 runners from 10 countries, for sure, this is a good opportunity and we will seize it,” said the legendary athlete.
Nyambui disclosed that the championship is recognised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).
“The IAAF sanctioned this event to take place in the Isles after Zanzibar fixed a tartan track, thus making it one of the best tracks in the region,” he said.
The Olympic silver medal winner said Tanzania Mainland will field a total of 25 up-and-coming athletes who have impressed in recent tournaments.
“Twenty five runners will represent the Mainland, most of them have done very well in local events, but we want to identify the best ones and groom them,” he said. He named the race categories as 100m, 200m, 400m, 1,500m, 3000m and 5000m for both boys and girls.
There will be also the 110m hurdles for boys and 100m hurdles for girls. Other sports include; shot put, discus, javelin throwing, long jump, high jump and triple jump.
NMG
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