Minister for Information, Culture, Arts and Sports, Nape Nnauye will grace this year’s event, with athletes competing in at least five sports disciplines.
Some of the elite runners expected to compete include Simbu, who finished fifth in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, Fabian Joseph both from Arusha Sports Training Centre, Fabian Nelson, Basil Sule, (Polisi), Gabriel Geay, Getuli Tsekeyay (Arusha Sports Centre), while for ladies category top runners Failuna Abdi (Talent), Angelina Tsere (Talent) and Catharine Range (Magereza).
Nape will officiate the festival’s closing ceremony that includes awarding the winners of various events, according to the event’s coordinator, Meta Petro.
Meta, the former athlete and a member of the Athletics Tanzania (AT) Executive Committee said that minister Nape will award the winners of the 10m race and other subsidiary events to be staged together with the main race. He said apart from the 10km race for both men and women runners, there would be a 60km cycling race, volleyball, football and 2.5km children race.
“We have also introduced acrobatic dance, circus, traditional dances and choir in a bid to make this year’s festival more colourful,” he explained. However, according to the event’s coordinator, football and volleyball finals were held yesterday, but their winners will be awarded in the grand prize-giving ceremony today.
He said this year’s festival, according to Petro, has been sponsored by Olympic Solidarity, through the Tanzania Olympic Committee (TOC) and Filbert Bayi Foundation (FBF).
Adding, Petro said the 10km race for both men and women likely to be very tough this year as many notable runners from Arusha, Kilimanjaro and Manyara regions have confirmed to vie for the events top prizes.
Manyara Region is renowned for producing long distance runners and among them is Filbert Bayi, the first Tanzania to break two world records in 800m and 1500m races.
Filbert Bayi Foundation (FBF), who organizes the festival has promised to reward the winners cash and sports equipment such as balls, nets, gloves, pairs of jerseys.
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