Africa-Press – Eswatini. The country have sent two road running athletes in Bongiwe Ngwenyama and Melusi Khumalo to the 1st Al-Basra International Half Marathon.
The 21.1km run will be held in Basra Governorate, Iraq on Friday (April 25, 2025). The athletes will be accompanied by Athletics Eswatini (AE) President Zakhele Dlamini who is also the President of CAA-SR.
The team was officially bid farewell by Eswatini Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association (EOCGA) and Eswatini Sport and Recreation Council (ESRC) Chief Executive Officers (CEO’s) Maxwell Jele and Darius Dlomo respectively on Wednesday at EOCGA offices, Lobamba.
Thobile Ngwenyama runs for the Correctional Services Athletics Club while Melusi Khumalo belongs to the Umbutfo Eswatini Defense Force (UEDF) Athletics Club.
According to AE, the duo’s participation in this prestigious international event marks an important step for Eswatini athletics on the global stage being an International Exposure: Competing against elite athletes worldwide boosts performance standards and builds confidence.
Also for Networking & Collaboration which opens doors to international partnerships and future invitations to global competitions and also for National Pride: Representing Eswatini helps raise the country’s profile in global athletics.
The benefits for being part of this competition will also be for Athlete Development: Offers athletes the experience needed to excel in future continental and world championships, and Benchmarking which allows us to measure our progress against international standards, helping shape better training and development strategies.
The travelling team:
Thobile Ngwenyama – Correctional Athletics Club
Melusi Khumalo – UEDF Athletics Club
Zakhele Dlamini – President of Athletics Eswatini and President of CAA-SR
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