Junior and senior track and field athletes from across the Eastern Cape and beyond are coming to the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University on Saturday, 17 October for the Madibaz EP Track and Field league 2, the second major athletics meet of the year.
Junior and senior track and field athletes from across the Eastern Cape and beyond are coming to the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University on Saturday, 17 October for the Madibaz EP Track and Field league 2, the second major athletics meet of the year.
The Madibaz will be welcoming athletes from local schools and clubs, and have also extended invitations to federations in the South Western Districts, Border and Free State to compete in the event at the Madibaz Stadium.
Madibaz athletics manager Nellis Bothma said this event was the one of the first of the new season and would give athletes a good indication of how well they needed to prepare before the 2016 season started in earnest.
“Athletes will be able to test themselves against their peers to a certain extent but, more importantly, they will be able to gauge their own standard before competing in the 2016 events,” said Bothma.
Athletes attending the Port Elizabeth event will compete in the age groups they qualify for next year, giving them an indication of the standard they can expect in their various disciplines heading into the new season.
Bothma added that Saturday’s event would also give Madibaz the opportunity to scout for talent as some of the junior athletes might be looking for a university to further their studies or sporting career next year.
“By inviting some school teams to the event we have an opportunity to see young talent in action. This could help us identify talent that could be further developed at Madibaz from next year.”
These athletes identified to possibly join the Madibaz team could then benefit from NMMU's newly opened High Performance Complex and all its facilities. -Full Stop Communications
