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Sports Reporter
NATIONAL Athletics Association of Zimbabwe president Tendai Tagara has described his election into the Confederation of African Athletics Council as a positive development for the region and Zimbabwe at large. Tagara was elected one of the four representatives on the CAA Council over the weekend in Johannesburg, South Africa during the eighth elective congress of the CAA Southern Region.

The Southern Region has four slots on the CAA council with the president for the region automatically getting one of the slots and the other one is reserved for the women’s representative.

Tagara contested for one of the two remaining slots and got 25 votes while Hilmy Said of Comoros received 14 votes to take the other slot.

“Each region elects its members to represent them in the CAA Council, so I was elected. Each region’s slots are determined by how big it is, for Southern Region and West Africa we have four slots each. East Africa has 3 as well and North Africa and Central Africa have two slots.

“I have never been in the region’s executive but I decided to go for the CAA Council. There were four of us, Zimbabwe, Comoros, South Africa and Namibia. So myself and Hilmy Said of Comoros we were elected into the CAA Council.

“The advantage of going into the Confederation of African Athletics is that it gives you the opportunity to meet the who is who of athletics and canvassing for support for your own country and for your own region especially convincing people to come and support.

“It also gives you the opportunity to ask CAA to give the region support in terms of financial and material support and competitions. If you look at it most competitions are in West Africa,” said Tagara.

Moses Bantsi of Botswana retained his post as president of the region. He got 18 votes to beat Zambia’s Elias NG’Andu Mpondela with 14 votes.

Mozambique’s Sarifa Fagilde was elected vice-president while Aleck Skhosana of South Africa is the secretary-general.

Marie Carole Joana Theodore of Mauritius is the individual council member and Norolalovolona Andriamahazo from Madagascar is the women’s representative on the CAA Council.

Tagara said they are looking at lobbying for more competitions to be staged in the region.

“So our aim is to lobby for more competition to come to Southern Africa and to the country. So it means our athletes have the opportunity to get more exposure. Athletics is all about training and competing.

“We want to enhance and strategies the marketing aspect of athletes as a region and Africa. If you look at it we have champions in the region and Olympians but they are not well marketed. TV rights, they are not well marketed as well for the region and the continent,” said Tagara.