WHILE not wishing to frustratingly sound like a broken record, this writer would still like to revisit the sorry state of our Olympic preparations, which should give us justifiable cause for huge concern.

Indeed, with the multi-event Olympic Games set to begin in Paris in late July, the fact that our preparations for the quadrennial sporting spectacle are proceeding at an extremely sluggish speed should really set the alarm bells ringing among all sports-obsessed Tanzanians.

 What makes this crucial matter all the more infuriating is that other countries in Africa and the world at-large treat preparations for the Olympic Games with the utter seriousness that they deserve.

 In fact, there are loads of sports-playing countries which begin readying themselves for the Summer Games almost immediately after the curtain falls down on the Olympics.

 In sharp contrast, though, we as Tanzanians seem to have a penchant for dragging our feet and engaging in last-gasp preparations for sporting championships of enormous magnitude like the Olympics.

 Worryingly, one wonders whether our athletes will be able to claim a few medals given our grossly sub-par preparations for this year’s Paris Olympics.

 Speaking of preparations, it is hugely encouraging to note that our national women’s football team, the Twiga Stars, have already started their preparations for the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) despite the fact that the elite championship has been pushed back to next year.

 Indeed, due to congestion on CAF’s football calendar, the immensely treasured 2024 WAFCON competition will now excitingly take place next year in the host country Morocco.

Regarding our preparations for this consequential football competition, the Twiga Stars entered into camp yesterday in a bid to intensely train for two upcoming football friendlies against Botswana and Tunisia.

The two friendly football clashes will hopefully test the Twiga Stars to the hilt, which ought to reveal frailties in the team that require strengthening.

 It is also hoped that the Twiga Stars will play more friendlies in the months to come as that is the only cast-iron guarantee of a stellar outing on African women’s football’s most prestigious stage.

Let us maintain this preparations theme and ponder on the prospects of local football’s juggernauts in CAF’s Inter-Club football championships next season.

Indeed, next season Young Africans SC and Azam FC will be our flag-bearers in the ultra-competitive CAF Champions League while Simba SC and Coastal Union will represent our country in continental football’s second tier CAF Confederations Cup.

To be frank, many avid football enthusiasts will be expecting big things from the aforementioned quartet of local football clubs in the coming season’s CAF’s Inter-Club competitions.

Our football fans’ elevated expectations can be attributed to the utterly remarkable progress demonstrated by Simba and Young Africans in CAF’s Inter-Club Championships in recent seasons.

For instance, both Simba and Young Africans advanced to the quarterfinals of the CAF Champions League last season where they unfortunately caved in to more formidable opponents.

And, in the season before last, Young Africans embarked on a fabulous run all the way to the CAF Confederations Cup final where they tragically suffered an unbelievably narrow defeat on the away goals rule.

In light of this recent track-record of football excellence, it is unsurprising then that football legends in the country are calling upon Young Africans, Azam, Simba and Coastal Union to begin early preparations for CAF’s Inter-Club championships next season as doing so undeniably heightens their chances of achieving admirable football feats.

One hopes then that our fantastic quartet of football clubs, who will be trying their damnedest to make headway on the African football landscape next season, will heed the call made by our all-time football greats.