adminThe City of Kings is the place to be next week for all teen athletes and sporting fans alike. You all know what is happening there, don’t you?
Training of officiating personnel for the African Union Sports Council Region 5 Under-20 Youth Games has started. Eleven countries — Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Seychelles, Swaziland, Zambia and the host nation Zimbabwe – will compete in eight disciplines – athletics, basketball, boxing, football, judo, netball, swimming and tennis.
Due to the fact that there is still work being done at almost all the venues to be used for the Games, actual trial runs could not be held.
However, there will be a contingency plan that is why the technical sub-committee last week started training personnel
at different centres around Bulawayo so that they are familiar with what is expected of them.
The LOC head of secretariat said athletics officials had their training at Northlea High School last weekend while
the swimming officials had theirs at Hillside Teachers’ College.
The sixth edition of the regional sports festival which will run from December 5 to 14 is running under the theme “Reaching for Greatness” and will leave Bulawayo with facilities capable of playing host to international events.
Renovations have been done at White City Stadium which will be home to athletics and netball, Bulawayo Athletics Club (tennis), City Pool (swimming), Luveve and Barbourfields stadiums (football) as well as the Games’ Village at Hillside Teachers’ College.
Boxing will be held at the City Hall with judo and basketball set for the ZITF.
Meanwhile, rolling out of the much awaited tartan track at White City Stadium finally took place yesterday.
The whole process is expected to be complete by December 2 to allow experts from the International Association of Athletics Federation to carry out their inspection.
Top Government officials expressed satisfaction with the accommodation standards at the Games Village, Hillside Teachers’ College which will accommodate all the athletes and officials from the 11 participating countries.
“These Games will leave a huge legacy to the City of Bulawayo, we must see them as the beginning and resurgence of Bulawayo because after these Games, this city will never be the same,” one of them pronounced.
In a tour that took close to nine hours, the delegation toured all the eight venues with their last stop being at the Drill Hall Police Station where there are mass display of background books to be used for the opening and closing ceremonies.
At the Drill Hall, the delegation was told that there were 1 820 books that will be used to display the message, “Best Wishes” in three languages- English, French and Portuguese – during the opening ceremony to be presided over by President Mugabe. Cool Lifestyle will see you there!
Online Reporter