{"id":11313,"date":"2025-12-19T08:13:16","date_gmt":"2025-12-19T08:13:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/?p=11313"},"modified":"2025-12-19T08:13:18","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T08:13:18","slug":"naaz-president-hails-2025-as-a-transformative-year-for-zimbabwean-athletics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/?p=11313","title":{"rendered":"NAAZ President Hails 2025 as a Transformative Year for Zimbabwean Athletics\u200e"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><br>Sithembinkosi L Jiyane<br>Sports Reporter<br>www.zimgbcnews.co.zw<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u200e National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe (NAAZ) president Tendayi Tagara has described 2025 as a landmark year for athletics in the country, citing renewed governance, improved performance structures and growing international recognition.<br>\u200e<br>\u200eTagara said the year was marked by purpose, progress and renewal, driven by the association\u2019s Five-Year Strategic Plan.<br>\u200e<br>\u200e\u201c2025 will be remembered as a transformational year, focused on rebuilding NAAZ into a modern, athlete-centred, well-governed and commercially sustainable federation,\u201d he said.<br>\u200e<br>\u200eHe identified the rebranding of NAAZ as a major milestone in the renewal process.<br>\u200e<br>\u200e\u201cOur rebranding signalled a new era of professionalism, inclusivity and ambition. It enhanced our visibility, restored stakeholder confidence and reinvigorated the sport,\u201d Tagara said.<br>\u200e<br>\u200eOn the domestic front, he said the association successfully hosted several major competitions across the country, including events in Bulawayo, before concluding the season with the Southern Region Senior Championships at the University of Zimbabwe.<br>\u200e<br>\u200e\u201cThese events showcased our organisational capacity, strengthened regional cooperation and highlighted the depth and competitiveness of Zimbabwean athletics,\u201d he said.<br>\u200e<br>\u200eAt international level, Tagara said Zimbabwean athletes continued to perform with distinction on the global stage.<br>\u200e<br>\u200e\u201cOur athletes represented Zimbabwe with resilience and determination at global championships and major meets, reaffirming our presence on the world athletics stage,\u201d he said.<br>\u200e<br>\u200eTagara also acknowledged the successful hosting of the 2025 NAAZ Excellence Awards, which recognised athletes, coaches, administrators and lifetime contributors.<br>\u200e<br>\u200e\u201cWe remain grateful to the NAAZ executive, provincial leadership, technical officials, volunteers, sponsors and partners whose unwavering support made these achievements possible,\u201d he said.<br>\u200e<br>\u200eLooking ahead to 2026, Tagara said preparations would begin with the Junior Championships in April, with a renewed focus on athlete development and performance excellence.<br>\u200e<br>\u200eThe achievements of 2025 have laid a firm foundation for sustained growth in Zimbabwean athletics. With improved governance structures, enhanced athlete development pathways and growing international recognition, the sport enters 2026 with renewed confidence and clear direction.<br>\u200e<br>\u200eBuilding on this momentum, the focus will remain on performance excellence, athlete welfare and stronger partnerships, positioning Zimbabwean athletics for continued progress on both the continental and global stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Stay Connected with Zim GBC News:<br>\u200e\u00b7 X (Twitter): @ZimGbc<br>\u200e\u00b7 Instagram: @ZimGBCNews<br>\u200e\u00b7 TikTok: @ZimGBCNews_01<br>\u200e\u00b7 Facebook: Zim GBC News<br>\u200e\u00b7 YouTube: Zim GBC News<br>\u200e<br>\u200eGet real-time alerts on WhatsApp:<br>\u200e +263 773 820 323<br>\u200e<br>\u200eFor in-depth coverage, visit our website: www.zimgbcnews.co.zw<br>\u200e<br><strong>\u200eZim GBC News | Global News From An African Perspective\u00a92025<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sithembinkosi L JiyaneSports Reporterwww.zimgbcnews.co.zw \u200e National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe (NAAZ) president Tendayi Tagara has described 2025 as a landmark year for athletics in the country, citing renewed governance, improved&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11314,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11313","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11313","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11313"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11313\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11315,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11313\/revisions\/11315"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11313"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11313"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11313"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}