Silwimba Backs Samuel Matete for ZAAA Post

RETIRED athlete REUBEN Silwimba has backed Samuel Matete for the presidency at this year’s Zambia Amateur Athletics Association elective AGM.
In an interview from the United States, Silwimba, who is former 800 metres national champion, observed that Matete had the right credentials to take over from incumbent president Elias Mpondela.
Siliwimba said time had come to give chance to former athletes to run the association and bring in new ideas.
“What I can say is we need to put in the right people in the executive. Mpondela is surrounded by a lot of people who have no ideas and that is why he has failed to develop athletics after being in office for 18 years,” Silwimba said.
“We need to support people like Matete and other athletes or former athletes who have achieved a lot for this country. It is a pity that politics has taken centre-stage ahead of the elections, but what we need is to have the right people in office.”
He added that it was wrong for ZAAA to ask people who were in good standing with the association to contest because what was important was to develop the sport.
Silwimba said people like Matete and other athletes who achieved a lot for Zambia were life members of the association and did not need to be in good standing with anyone.
“Whether Mpondela likes it or not, Matete is a life member of ZAAA. Why should the issue of good standing arise now. Why didn’t they ask all that when he was representing and winning medals for Zambia?” Silwimba asked.

Matete will challenge Mpondela for the top position in ZAAA during the elections and Silwimba becomes the second person to back the former world champion after his former coach Steve Silvey made the endorsement last week.
The date for the elections is still uncertain as ZAAA has defied a directive by the National Sports Council of Zambia to hold its AGM before April 30 by sticking to its planned date of December 27.

Posted by Editor on March 27, 2014. Filed under International sport, SPORTS. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry