Bayi enjoyed a distinguished career in track and field, setting world records over 1,500 metres and the mile and winning Olympic silver in the 3,000m steeplechase at Moscow 1980.

His medal in the Russian capital is one of only two Tanzania have won at the Olympics, while Bayi also won the Commonwealth Games 1,500m title in Christchurch in 1974.

The winning time in New Zealand of 3min 32.16sec was then the world record and is still the Commonwealth Games record, and is considered as one of the most memorable middle distance performances.

Sixty-six-year-old Bayi now hopes that Tanzania's current best crop of runners will be able to progress from national to international level.

"We have coaches, but most of them are development coaches, they can help athletes to a certain level only, to reach at the high level will certainly be a tough task for them," he said to Tanzania Daily News.

"High performance coaches can study an individual runner during an event and know exactly areas to develop for an athlete to reach the top level."

Tanzania's only other Olympic medal was also won in athletics at Moscow 1980, with Suleiman Nyambui taking silver over 5,000m at the heavily-boycotted Games.