AT mourns former president Francis John

John, also an experienced athletics coach, died in the early hours of yesterday at KCMC hospital in Kilimanjaro after sustaining injuries in a road accident. 

There were neither family nor police comments on the passing on of the former AT president.

Jackson Ndaweka, AT acting secretary-general, and the body's information officer Luiza John, though, confirmed the death of the coach who was also one of the local qualified athletics agents.

"It's very difficult for us considering that we have just buried our former president, John Bayo, who died days ago and now our other former president, Francis John, has passed on, it's very painful," Luiza noted.

Ndaweka said the passing of John is a big blow to athletics in the country and extended AT's heartfelt condolences to the coach's family.

He said until his death, John was the Race Director of the NBC Dodoma Marathon.

Ndaweka said the late John will also be fondly remembered for training a prominent domestic athlete, Alphonse Simbu, and will moreover be remembered for his contributions to the game.

"It's a big blow to the athletics fraternity in the country, he was a great and experienced coach, he devoted almost all of his life to athletics in the country," the AT official noted.

"He was with us whereby he offered us his advice on many issues, until his death he was a coach for top local athlete Simbu," Ndaweka added. 

Former AT secretary-general Wilhem Gidabuday described John as a complete package that local athletics need.

He said John had some attributes and qualities like a qualified coach, good race director, and successful AT president, qualities lacking in several other officials.

"Sadly, he has passed away, to me, he was a good advisor, I remember when I was AT secretary-general he accompanied me to Uganda for championships and London, he was a great guy and the country has lost a very important person in athletics," he said.

Athletics legend, Suleiman Nyambui, remembered John as one of the race organizers who had strong connections and links with international race organizers. 

Nyambui, former AT secretary-general, pointed out John was nurturing and training many young and upcoming athletes to the extent that he was offering shelter to some.

The former AT official also remembered the departed coach as someone that worked tirelessly with him to transform athletics in the country from amateur to professional. 

He disclosed: "He was AT president and I was secretary-general, that was from 2006 to 2012, we worked closely together, and we did a lot of things for the benefit of athletics and athletes in the country."

"During that period AT was formed from Tanzania Amateur Athletics Association (TAAA)... during that time there were also many local athletics championships and events which were taking place," he said.

Apart from serving as the national athletics team's coach, John was Tanzania People's Defence Force (TPDF)  athletics team's head coach and held many local and international athletics positions.

News of John having been involved in a car accident was first broken by national junior athletics teams' head coach  Alfredo Shahanga who said the accident occurred at around 3 am in Arusha and the victims were rushed to Patandi Hospital, Arusha for treatment.