Kinje all set for weekend’s
international rally
By Burton Brown
Tanzania’s upcoming driver, Kinje Ngombale Mwiru has brought in
Group N
homologated Subaru Legacy in a bid to score points in the forthcoming Africa
Rally
Championship scheduled for Saturday and Sunday this week in Dar es Salaam.
Prior to driving the new world class car, Kinje has been using Group S Land
Rover
defender, but according to the new regulations set out by the World’s Motor
Sports
Body (FIA), Land Rovers and other Group S cars are not allowed to score points
in
African rallies.
“I have tested the vehicle and it sounded great and fast. I hope it will earn me
a good
position in Tanzania’s first international rally,” he said.
Subaru Legacy and its sister, Impreza have been the hottest racing machines in
the
rally of Africa. There will be more than 20 Subaru cars in this weekend’s
international
rally.
The Tanzania International Rally is the first in a series of African Rally
Championship
events to be staged in various African countries this year.
Seven countries have confirmed to send participants in the event including
Africa’s
top drivers who excelled in the 2004 edition of African Rally Championship.
Among the top drivers confirmed to come are: Muna Singh and his navigator David
Sihoka from Zambia who will drive car number one, Subaru Impreza; Rudy
Catanhede and his navigator; David Israel from Burundi; and Ugandan Riyaz Kurji
who will drive car number 3, Mitsubishi Evolution 6.
Other participants are Jess Watson and David Milner from Zimbabwe, Azar Anwar
from Kenya and Zambian wheeler Paul Monge.
New Africa Hotel, NAS Hauliers, BOL, A1 Outdoors, STADO Rally team, Mukwano
ATCL, SAS Gas and Power Computer have joined Knight Support Rally as associate
co-sponsors.
TRU to assemble National Rugby
Team next month
By Express Correspondent
Tanzania Rugby Union (TRU) is in its final preparation to handpick
the players who
will form Tanzania National Rugby team to represent the country in various
international competitions.
Tinus Aucamp, the National Team coach revealed in Dar es Salaam over the
weekend that the names of the players would be made public next month before
starting residential camps in Arusha and Dar es Salaam in April this year.
He said the team would start with 30 players picked from rugby clubs in Dar es
Salaam, Arusha and Kilimanjaro. Later the number of players will be dropped to
25.
“Unlike in the past when rugby looked too alien, the sport is now making a fast
development and many new talents have been discovered and developed
considerably,” he said.
Among the successful projects TRU has engineered the introduction of Tanzania’s
first
division rugby, which was scheduled to start over the weekend in Dar es Salaam
and
Arusha.
Tanzania also took part in the Tri-Nation cup last year and emerged the winner
after
beating other two participants, Rwanda and Burundi in the matches held at
Bra-burn
School in Arusha.
Simba ready to take on
Ferroviario
By Joyce Macha
Tanzania’s representatives in the African Champions League, Simba
Sports Club
leave for Maputo, Mozambique this Saturday ahead of their return leg match
against
Ferroviario of Nampula on Sunday.
The club’s assistant coach, Nzoyisaba Tauzany said his boys have had intensive
training that assures him of a quality performance in Mozambique.
He said all his players are fit to overcome any challenge in Maputo and emerge
victorious.
“All players are fit. Shaaban Kisiga had a minor injury but he is now recovering
rapidly. He is certain to play this Sunday,” said the coach.
Simba beat Ferroviario 2-1 in the first match played in Dar es Salaam 11 days
ago and
can manage with a draw of any kind to go through to the next stage.
If Simba qualifies they will meet the Nigerian and African club champions,
Enyimba
FC in the first stage of the preliminary rounds.
African Rally Championship in
Dar tomorrow
By Joyce Macha
Tanzania’s debut in the 2005 edition of the African Rally Championship takes off
tomorrow when 46 cars will be scrutinised in a process at Knight Support Yard
along
Mwalimu Nyerere Road, Dar es Salaam.
The Technical Delegate from the Federation of International Automobile (FIA),
Viren
Goricha arrived in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday to conduct the inspection of the
cars.
Goricha was introduced to the media in a brief ceremony held at the rally office
at the
New Africa Hotel.
“I thank Knight Support and other companies which offered their donation on
associate and co-sponsorship roles, without them we would not be here today,”
said
Arif Ahmed, the event’s chief clerk of the Course and the Convenor of the Rally
Commission of Tanzania.
Earlier on Friday last week, the Automobile Association of Motor sports Club
(AAMSC)
made the official launch of the Knight Support Rally as well as introducing the
co-sponsor, Power Compute in a brief ceremony held at ELIA Complex in the city.
The rally is the first international rally in the country since Tanzania hosted
the East
African Rally in 1977 and the rally has already recorded massive entries of 46
nationals and international drivers.
Twenty seven cars are in Group N and A classes eligible to score points in the
competition while the remaining 19 are group S cars which only score points in
Tanzanian National Rally and East African categories.
Ali Hassan Mwinyi Intercity
Boxing confirmed
By Burton Brown
Kigali Boxing Club has officially announced that Ali Hasssan Mwinyi
will remain the
name of the East African Intercity Boxing Championship, which the Rwanda’s
capital
will host from March 3 to 13.
The Championship got its name last year when Dar es Salaam hosted the boxing
competition for the first time at Vijana Amana Hall, Ilala.
The Secretary General of Dar es Salaam Regional Boxing Association (DABA),
Mafuku
Kabeya said the Rwandan club and others from participating countries of East
Africa
accepted the name following the massive success of the inaugural event, which
prompted other cities outside East Africa to join the championship.
Additional cities expected to send teams this year include Maputo (Mozambique),
Lusaka (Zambia), Lubumbashi (Congo) and Mahe (The Seychelles).
In another development, Kabeya said the Intercity Boxing Championship had to
reschedule the timing of the competitions in order to avoid interfering with the
Zone
Five Boxing Championship.
He said it was important to change the date since most of the boxers
representing
their cities will be the same who represent their countries in the Zone
Championship.
Zone Five Boxing Championship normally picks the best boxers from East and
Central
African countries that will represent Africa in various international events
like the
Olympics and Commonwealth Games.
Basketball referees get
special training
By Burton Brown
In a bid to stage a successful National Basketball League, Tanzania
Basketball
Federation (TBF) has picked five referees who will undergo special training in
preparation for the event next week in Tanga.
The referees are scheduled to meet today at the National Sports Council (NSC).
The Secretary General of TBF, Ahmed Simba named the referees attending the
meeting as Gosbert Boniface, John Golita, Kennedy Magoiga, Prosper Mushi and
Wilbroad Samson.
Simba said the Executive Committee of TBF, which sat February 1 at the NSC
offices,
picked the referees for the league matches.
“Principally the meeting will dwell on various laws that guide basketball
matches.
We intend also to test the knowledge of the referees so that they do not mess up
the
tournament,” he said.
Besides the five umpires from Dar es Salaam, Simba said TBF asked every team
that
participate in the league to bring one referee for officiating purposes.
National Basketball League finally takes place this year after countless
postponements. The last time was in 2003 in the event held in Mwanza.
Dar Leopards shine in rugby
By Joyce Macha
Dar es Salaam Gymkhana Rugby Team, The Leopards had an easy job over the
weekend when they mauled TRU Combine 24-5 in a one sided rugby encounter held
at Dar es Salaam Gymkhana Club Grounds.
The winners were leading 12-5 before half time with the team captain outshining
his
fellow players by scoring nine points alone.
However, it was Ferentinos Dimitri who opened the scorebook with a try in the
first
quarter of the game.
Omar, the Dar Team captain, scored one try and a conversion of a try a few
minutes
later to make it 12-0 for the hosts.
Johan Johan reduced the margin with an unconverted try before the half time to
make it 12-5.
The second half saw the hosts playing more aggressively and managed to force the
Combine team into a defensive game throughout the second half.
The Leopards scored two more tries in the 2nd half from Seif Mntezo and Jason
Bergman.
Interschool Swimming tourney
next week
By Boogie Juma
The International School of Tanganyika (IST) is the venue of the Dar
es Salaam
Inter-school Swimming competition scheduled for the Upanga campus later next
week.
Organised by Tanzania Life Saving Society Swimming Club (TALISS), the
competition
is going to pit more than 50 competitors from Dar es Salaam’s top English Medium
schools.
The Chairman of TALISS, John Belela said that so far five schools had submitted
their
participation to the organizers.
According to Belela, the schools include the hosts IST Upanga, Heaven of Peace
Academy (HOPAC), Dar es Salaam International (DIS), Kwanza International School
and IST Masaki.
Belela said the pupils and students have a free ticket to participate after
undergoing
all registration procedures.
“It is an open swimming competition which aims at winning more young people to
join the sport, probably after some time Tanzania will be able to send swimmers
in
the Olympics or Club Games (Commonwealth Wealth).
He said February 10 is the deadline for schools and other participants to send
their
confirmation.
back to headlines
Seminar for Kili Marathon
officials praised
By Burton Brown
More than 100 umpires have been picked to undergo special training ahead of the
Mount Kilimanjaro Marathon, which takes place in Moshi later this month.
The former national 400m champion, Morris Okinda said the umpires’ seminar is a
sign that sports officials are now determined to see athletics regain the glory
it earned
in the 1970s and 80s.
“I think we are going somewhere in the organization and management aspects of
the
sport,” he said.
The seminar is set to start February 17 in Dar es Salaam just ten days before
the main
event.
The Secretary General of TAAA, Juma Ikangaa said the seminar would involve both
indoor and outdoor training, each taking five days to accomplish.
In another development the Director of the Kili Marathon, Aggrey Marealle told
The
Express that the preparations for one of Tanzania’s two international marathon
races
were proceeding as planned.
He named the countries expected to send participants as US, UK, South Africa,
Malawi, Sudan, Rwanda, Australia, Norway, Sudan and Namibia.
Msimbazi Queens tame Jangwani
Ladies in soccer
By Burton Brown
Lydia Clement of Msimbazi Queens was the star of the match when she
led her team
to a dramatic win over Twiga Ladies in a thrilling women soccer match held over
the
weekend at the National Stadium, Dar es Salaam.
Rukia outwitted Jangwani Ladies defenders before sending the goalkeeper on the
wrong side to place the ball in the net.
Both teams fielded players who play for Tanzania National Women soccer team
(Taifa
Queens).