Mtaka: Why I deserve to be re-elected as AT boss

Dar es Salaam. Athletics Tanzania (AT) President Anthony Mtaka has said he deserves another term in office because of the tangible results he has to show for his work so far.

Mtaka is the sole candidate for the body’s presidential position ahead of a general election set for November 27 in the city.

In an interview with The Citizen yesterday, Mtaka said athletics stakeholders have recognised his role as head of AT, and decided not to contest against him.

“I think I have made all stakeholders proud because when I assumed office things were in a real bad state; a lot of our stakeholders had lost hope and were falling by the side,” Mtaka said.

He said his leadership has restored faith in athletics among stakeholders who are now working together for development.

“We have runners who are among the top 10 finalists in the China event, and recently we made the country proud after Alphonce Felix finished fifth in the Olympic Games held in Rio de Janeiro. He also did well in the World championships to qualify for the Olympic Games.”

Mtaka notes that one of his biggest achievements was making sure that national teams were adequately prepared for other international competitions, such as the Commonwealth Games.

He told The Citizen he was proud to have restored confidence among athletics sponsors, who he said had developed a negative attitude towards supporting the body. In addition, he cites amending the AT constitution as one of his achievements.

“We have managed to stage national championships since 2013 in various regions. Some of our runners have secured scholarships because of the good work that we have done.”

“Who did that before? We were used to having all events in Dar es Salaam or Arusha, I ensured we take them to Morogoro, Coast Region,” he said.