by Philip Richards

Summer Olympics – Paris 2024
As reported in TA 138, Tanzania sent 7 competitors to the XXXIII Olympiad in Paris, made up of four athletes (marathon), two swimmers and one competing in judo. Sadly, the country’s representatives returned empty handed, meaning that it is 44 years since Olympic medals (two silvers) were won in Moscow in 1980, and the glint of a gold medal remains an elusive dream.

In the men’s marathon, Alphonce Simbu finished a disappointing 17th after experiencing muscular pain 31km into the race, whilst Gabriel Geay did not finish the route. In the women’s race, whilst Magdalena Shauri posted a season’s best time, she still finished 40th whilst Jackline Sakilu did not finish.

In the pool, Collins Saliboko and Saphia Latiff did not advance beyond the heats of their 100m and 50m freestyle respectively. On the judo floor, Andrew Mlugu won his contest in the round of 32 for the 73kg class, but failed to progress against his French opponent in the round of 16.

Preparations will no doubt have started already for the Los Angeles 2028 Games. Alphonce Simbu has commented that the standards of other sports in the country need to be raised, rather than pinning the country’s hopes on athletics (The Citizen, 15/8/24). However, the challenge surely is for each sport, including athletics, to focus on raising their own standards, rather than comparing themselves to the perceived weaknesses of other sports, otherwise there is a risk that the only goal will be to meet the standards of the lowest common denominator.

Paris 2024 Paralympic Games

Hilmy Shawwal represented the country as its the sole competitor in the Paralympics in August/September in the T54 100m wheelchair racing category. He has made history by becoming the first wheelchair racer to represent Tanzania and is hoping will inspire others to follow. The T54 class includes people with spinal cord injuries who compete using a wheelchair in track events. Although currently located in Ealing, UK, where he is a tutor and mentor to young people, Hilmy qualifies to represent Tanzania on account of it being his mother’s country of birth.

In the event, he finished 6th in the heats so did not progress in the competition but his consistency and determination will surely inspire himself to greater heights and an example for others to follow (Kingston Nub News 2/9/2024)

Football
The men’s national team, Taifa Stars, kicked off their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Group H campaign against Ethiopia in early September. The match played in Dar es Salaam ended in a goalless draw which was characterised by cautious play and a lack of clear-cut chances (CAF Online, 4/9/24). The team faces further group matches against Guinea and DR Congo in an attempt to reach the finals in Egypt in Morocco next year.

Beach soccer

The conventional field-based game may be the most popular sport in the country, but competitive beach-based “soccer” is gaining popularity both in Tanzania and across the world. In Tanzania, you may see the game being played on the popular beaches of Kigamboni, Kwenda, Nungwi and Paje.

This popularity has led to an Africa-wide (AFCON) tournament to be held in Eqypt in October. Tanzania’s campaign began with a match against Uganda in the qualifiers and has culminated in them reaching the 8-team finals. (AllAfrica.com, 18/7/24). Coach Jaruph Juma (pictured) is reported to be aiming progress the sport through qualification for the World Cup in Seychelles in 2025.