Confusion cleared as Sibanda qualifies for World Championships

He joins Baboloki Thebe and Nijel Amos who qualified by virtue of being African Champions in their respective races. There was confusion regarding the recognition of Itekeng as a certified IAAF venue.

BAA sports development officer, Gable Garenamotse said it does not necessarily mean that an athlete cannot qualify from a venue which is not certified. “Pako Seribe once qualified for the 2007 World Championships at that stadium. The stadium certification is mainly used for verification if an athlete has broken a world record. It verifies if indeed the track is of the required length. As for qualifications the certification doesn’t really matter. There are many aspects which are considered to determine if the athlete has qualified for major international competitions and some aspects are whether if there were trained IAAF officials and recognised IAAF equipment at the race,” Garenamotse said.