The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
Suleiman Jongo
8 May 2008
Four athletes have been selected by the Athletics Tanzania (AT) to compete in the China Open championship that gets underway in Beijing on May 25, according to the body's secretary general, Suleiman Nyambui.
He named the athletes as Damian Chopa, Marco Joseph and Ezekiel Jofrey who will feature in 5000-metre event.
Concluding the line-up is Faustine Mussa who has registered for 5000 and 10,000 metres events.
According to Nyambui, the athletes will board a Beijing bound flight five days ahead of the championships.
The four athletes are currently training at Arusha.
They will have their travelling and accommodation expenses paid by the organisers of the open championship to be staged as a warm up to the Olympics in August.
The event will also serve as gateway to win Olympic berth for the Tanzanian athletes.
Accompanying the four athletes are a coach and physician yet to be named by Nyambui.
"The Tanzania team has been assured of full sponsorship during the Beijing trip," he said.
The secretary general said the athletes have demonstrated skills and capability during training sessions to be awarded the trip to China.
Newly constructed state of the art Chinese National Stadium also known as the 'Bird's nest,' will host the championship as an Olympic warm up.
So far only seven sports personalities have qualified to represent Tanzania in the August Olympics.
They are marathon trio of Getuli Bayo, Samson Ramdhani and Msenduki Mohammed, and short distance runner Dickson Marwa.
Others are swimming duo of Khalid Rushaka and Magdalena
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