Arusha to host 2023 Youth Athletics Championships

Tanzania Youth Athletics Championships (TAYAC) is the showdown's organizer, with the competition's winners in various categories set to be awarded medals and trophies.

Juliana Mwamsuva, one of TAYAC's directors, said all is set for the championships.

She said the championships have been divided into three age groups 6-8, 9-11, and 12-14.

She stated that the junior championships are aimed at promoting athletics in the country and the top three performers in each category will be awarded medals.

According to Juliana, there will moreover be a special award of a trophy presented to the top winner in each group.

The official also disclosed that the best-performing athletes will be selected for a special training program to be conducted by Arusha District athletics coaches that will cooperate with athletics coaches Patrick Mgoyo and Suleiman Nyambui.

Juliana pointed out: "This year's edition of Tanzania Junior Athletics Championships will be held this weekend, we expect more than 300 junior athletes to compete."

"This year we have athletes from Moshi, Manyara, and Rukwa and many more others from Arusha schools registering to compete, three winners in each age category will as well be awarded medals," the TAYAC boss revealed.

"The top winner in each group will be awarded a trophy, we will also select 15 to 20 best athletes for our six-month training program, the program will be conducted on weekends," she said. 

The TAYAC director said the championships are sponsored by her organization and others sponsoring in kind and financially.

Recently Nyambui that is as well a reputed athletics administrator had, in a separate interview, stressed the need for the country to have more junior athletics events for it to realize its dream of having many top athletes.

Nyambui, former Athletics Tanzania (AT) Secretary-General, said all countries now doing well in athletics are investing in junior events.

"The best way for the country to produce top athletes who can compete in both local and international events and bring home medals is to start from the grassroots," the official that was also Brunei's national athletics team's head coach in the past stated.

"We must organize many tournaments for the youths, the tournaments will help the juniors gain experience and exposure," he said.

Juliana disclosed: "TAYAC deals with organizing sports competitions in track and field at both local and regional levels, in the past three years we have been organizing athletes events for juniors of between 6-14 ears."

The TAYAC boss added: "Most of the athletes who competed in the championships in the past three years are matured now, so, the coming event is aimed at welcoming them to another age group, we don't want to leave them behind."

According to the official, the organization believes that talented athletes should be nurtured at a tender age and the junior championships are a better platform for transition. 

Juliana further noted TAYAC also aims to see that many junior athletes are graduating to the senior team so that they can represent the country in both local and international events.

She pointed out they always make follow up on talented athletes and offer some athletic coaching lessons.

TAYAC, Juliana noted, is pleased to see that some of the athletes who have been competing in the organization's events were selected to represent Arusha in the National Athletics Championships.

The organization, she pointed out, also has programs focusing on promoting youths' participation in sports, health development in youths, and increasing youths' access to health care.

Juliana said TAYAC further creates a market place for young athletes by introducing training sessions supervised by international coaches and clubs.

The organization, according to the TAYAC boss, provides the youth community with an opportunity to continue athletics professional training and expose youths' hidden talents to quality fields, coaching, and standard competitions.

The junior performers later participate in sports competitions, earn recognition, and garner awards for their talents.

The programs are also aimed at reducing of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) as chances of cardiovascular, respiratory, diabetes, and cancer are reduced.