Drivers
prepare for Kenya rally
By Joyce Macha
Seven Tanzanian drivers are preparing ahead of their tough mission
in Kenya, the venue of the fifth edition of the FIA African Rally Championship,
which flags off in Nairobi and lasts July 16 to 18, 2005.
Two drivers from Arusha, three from Dar es Salaam, one from Iringa and others
from Morogoro have been making a series of speed tests, car performances and
restrictors fixing. They say they are all ready for impressive performances in
Kenya next month.
The drivers, having already confirmed their participation, include: Pano
Calavria, Omar Bakhressa, Ahmed Huwel and Saleh Balhabou from Stado rally team,
Kirit Pandya from Tanganyika Motor Sports Club (TMSC) while Amarjit Dhillon
Sunvic and Navraj Hans are from Arusha.
Pano Calavria stated that they have had lengthy training in Morogoro, where he
said the routes resemble those of Nairobi.
Pano, the chef of the delegation, said all of them would drive a Subaru Impreza,
which have been fixed with restrictors, ready for the scrutinising process early
next week.
He said a FIA technical delegate, Viren Goricha, will visit Dar es Salaam in
early July to inspect the cars before shipping them to Nairobi on July 10.
According to Pano, the four drivers will leave for Nairobi, July 10 and do some
practice before the Super Special Stage on Friday, July 16 and the official flag
off on July 17.
In another development, Dar es Salaam-based driver, Kirit Pandya told The
Express that he would leave tomorrow for Nairobi as part of his preparations. “I
am going to make an assessment of the routes and other rallying elements,” said
Pandya who will be accompanied by co-driver Sanjev Pandya.
Five Tanzanian drivers have managed to get the seeding points for the African
Rally Championship so far. They are Navraj Hans (6pts), Issa Mohamed/Hassan
Mamdali (4pts), Murtaza Kara Anaconda/Jattish Vara (3pts), Amarjit Dhillon/Dr
Wenna Brown (2pts) and Hamid Khan/Nadeem/Khan (1pt)
Golfers
impressive in Coast Open
By Joyce Macha
The Coast Open Golf Championship has ended after lasting three
months, at Dar es Salaam Gymkhana Club course. More than ten golfers managed to
finish with massive under pars.
Lengai Sayore, who led with six under par net 64 strokes, opened the way for
other golfers.
Geoffrey Leverian and Bryson Nyenza had four under, Athumani Chiundu and Pembe
Kondo posted three under, while Robert Mlangwa and Edwin Thomas had one under
each.
Prior to the Coast Open, Dar es Salaam Gymkhana Club course was very difficult
to beat. In most of the past three months’ tournament, two or three over par
have been the best scores.
However, it was Stanley Sanga who emerged the overall winner of the gross
category with two over par, total 172 gross.
Playing off a -2 handicap, Sanga carded 68 strokes on the first day and
completed the second 18 holes on 74 gross.
Five strokes behind the winner was Pembe Kondo, who took the runner-up title
with seven over par 147gross, ahead of Leverian brothers, Geoffrey and Godfrey
who tied at nine over par 149 gross.
In the net category, Athumani Chiundu took the first position with two under par
total net 138, beating his closest challengers, Robert Mlangwa and Lengai Sayore
by two strokes. Mlangwa, who carded par level score of 140 net (like Sayore),
took runner-up position while Sayore was forced to the second runner-up
position.
Bryson Nyenza carded the best score of the first day, while John Kasegenya was
best in the second day. Munir Ally fired the longest drive.
This Saturday, Dar es Salaam Gymkhana Club will stage the 18-hole Monthly Mug,
in which more than eighty golfers are expected to compete.
Brooklyn FC
shines in Don Bosco festival
By Burton Brown
The 5-0 win the Brooklyn soccer team recorded over Temeke Kids, this
last weekend, was one of the hottest results to come out of the ongoing Don
Bosco Sports Festival, at the Don Bosco ground in Dar es Salaam.
Officially opened on Thursday last week, the 25th edition of the Don Bosco
festival staged eleven different sports, music and arts competitions; all
involving youth of under 14 years.
In netball, Makuburi Parish girls secured a ticket to play in the semi final
against Vijana Barracks at the same venue this Saturday.
Also to play in the semi final are Don Bosco Girls who are pitted against
Kibangu on the same day.
In other matches played this week, Majembe Kids soccer team thrashed Mafere
Warriors 2-1, while G7 FC forced a 1-1 draw with DB Oyster bay before Vidume
beat FC Porto 3-0.
In basketball, Magone team trounced Yellow Jackets 48-22 while Jogoo floored
Makuburi Parish 39-29. Temeke MD beat Young Rovers 38-23 in an exciting match,
before Young Stars Men’s team beat Don Bosco Ladies 39-26.
The sports festival will climax in Dodoma in August this year.
MPs versus
lady footballers – place your bets!
By Express Reporter
The Tanzanian Parliamentary Football Team will play a charity
friendly against the Dar es Salaam-based women’s team, Real Tanzanite to raise
money for women affected with cancer.
The match is organized by the Real Tanzanite Sports club in collaboration with
the Tanzanian Women Doctors’Association (NEWATA), and will take place at Jamhuri
Stadium in Dodoma on July 10.
“The match will be so great and enjoyable, seeing that we are playing against
such a very difficult team, what I can say is all football fans also
non-football fans should come to watch the game,” declared Real Tanzanite
Chairperson, Pili Said, to The Express.
Pili added that “Our team has prepared well and is in the mood for this match.
We are sure that we will win the game, although the Parliament is a very good
team”.
She said that entrance fees will go towards the cancer victims’ donation fund,
which has been initiated by NEWATA.
Meghji, Kiwara ousted in TGU
committee
By Express Reporter
The long service of Mohamed Rafik Meghji and Leonard Kiwara in the
Tanzanian Golf Union ended this week, when the two officials lost their posts in
the Union’s General Election, held at Dar es Salaam Gymkhana Club over the
weekend.
Both contestants had served the Union for more than a decade.
Meghji who was defending his Honorary Secretary’s title lost to Perfect Lyimo
who got eight votes against Meghji’s six.
Kiwara lost the Vice Chairman’s title to Dioniz Malinzi, who just started
playing golf last year.
The election also picked Michael Shirima, the new TGU Chairman, after he scooped
nine votes against five for his opponent, Lt. General Gideon Sayore.
The Honorary Treasurer’s post went to Flumence Mbuya. Mohamed Sadiq won the post
of competition secretary. Richard Gomesh was elected the handicap secretary.
US basketball whizz to train
coaches
By Burton Brown
The US basketball-training expert, Nelson Isley, will conduct a
two-week coaching course scheduled to take place July 11 to 22 in Morogoro.
All regions of Tanzania Mainland and the Isles are expected to send
representatives to the course, which is targeted to motivate the technical
growth in capability of the sport nationwide.
Isley, who starred in Buffalo from Louisiana in the seventies and eighties, is
one of the most respected basketball personalities in America.
Mary Mbaga, treasurer with Tanzania Basketball Federation (TBF), told The
Express that the tour of the American expert is the result of talks between the
National Sports Council (NSC) and the technical delegate from the International
Basketball Federation (IBF), Anicet Lavodrama, who toured the country to assess
the development of the sport two months ago.
She said all basketball coaches in Tanzania mainland and four from Zanzibar
would attend the course, said to empower the coaches with modern techniques of
coaching the sport.
She said the forthcoming course would now be taking place annually so that the
grooming of the best coaches becomes a continuous tradition.
Mini Cricket tourney in September
By Boogie Juma
The Tanzanian Cricket Association (TCA) has postponed the Mini
Cricket Tournament from July to September this year. However, the venue of the
tournament will remain in Iringa as it was earlier planned.
An official with TCA, Paul Manyanda, told The Express that the Mini Cricket
would be held soon after the arrival of the Tanzanian team that would have
represented Tanzania in the World Cup qualifying matches, to be held in August
in South Africa.
“Initially we planned the tournament to take off in July, but financial
constraints forced the TCA to push it to September,” said Manyanda.
According to Manyanda, Mwanza has also been picked to stage its Mini Cricket for
Primary School pupils on the same date as the tourney will happen in Iringa.
Legendary big names called to
attend TAAA meeting
By Boogie Juma
The National Sports Council in collaboration with Tanzania Amateur
Athletics Association (TAAA) has released the names of the former athletes
eligible to attend the association’s Annual General meeting.
The athletes are going to go through the constitutional amendments of TAAA ahead
of the general election.
Leonard Thadeo, the Secretary General of the Council, told The Express that the
athletes were those who had represented the country in the All African Games,
Commonwealth Games and Olympics and other international events.
Altogether, there are fifty athletes, both men and women. Some of the big names
are: Filbert Bayi, Zakayo Marekwa, Khalifa Abdallah, Thomas Daniel, Erasto Zambi,
Rafael Kubaga, Morris Okinda, Dr. Ahmed Ndee, Ibrahim Juma Kivina, Peter Mwita,
Elias Sulus , Suleiman Nyambui and Mwinga Mwanjala, Adventina Mutakyawa, Hawa
Hussein, Banuelia Mrashani, Restituta Joseph and Lwiza John.
Thadeo said the constitutional meeting was scheduled to take place in Arusha on
July 3 but had had to be put back to July 18.
National Volleyball Championship
for all comers at end July in Tanga
By Joyce Macha
Tanga is the venue for this year’s National Volleyball Club
Championship, scheduled for July 29 at Mkwakwani Stadium courts.
Chairman of the Technical Committee of Tanzania Volleyball Associations (TAVA),
Allen Alex, told The Express this week that the event that was earlier projected
to take place in Dar es Salaam had had to be shifted for reasons of convenience.
“The region showed keen interest in hosting it, and we had to offer them the
opportunity,” he said.
The tournament is open to all clubs from all regions in Tanzania Mainland.
Volleyball has shown a sign of regaining its lost popularity in the country,
said Alex, and he hoped it was a good sign towards a complete recovery.
Dar es Salaam staged its regional basketball championship two weeks ago at Uhuru
Primary School courts. Jeshi Stars emerged the winners after beating Magereza in
the final. JKT took the regional title in the women’s discipline beating Jeshi
Stars in the final.
EA volleyball championship – DSM
club pleads empty pockets
By Burton Brown
Dar es Salaam Regional Volleyball Association (DAREVA) has asked
stakeholders to sponsor the East African Intercity Volleyball Championship,
which the region will stage in September this year.
According to the association’s Treasurer, Halifa Yogo, they need the financial
and material backing to enable it to stage the event, which he said would help
Tanzanian players learn new tactics from the players of the visiting teams.
“We are fighting hard to ensure the tournament takes place in Dar es Salaam as
planned, but we are yet to get enough funds to run the tournament. We now call
on stakeholders, individuals and companies to help us so that we don’t waste
this opportunity,” he said.
The tournament will combine teams from the big cities of Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda,
Burundi and Tanzania.
New AWATA leaders
By Boogie Juma
The Amateur Wrestling Association of Tanzania (AWATA) has picked its
new leaders, following elections that took place in Dar es Salaam over the
weekend.
Adolph Leonard was elected the Chairman, while Aloyce Melchior took the Vice
Chairmanship post, and Abel Mcharo took the Secretary General’s post.
Also elected are: Bilal Mgeni (Assistant Secretary), while Nassor Said, Haruna
Abdallah, Mathias Biamungu, Vitus Mbalale, Mashaka Juma and Steven Juma are
members of the executive committee.