adminAugustine Hwata Sports Reporter
PREPARATIONS for the African Union Sport Development Games to be hosted by Zimbabwe next year moved a gear up when member countries held a technical meeting in the capital yesterday. Zimbabwe were granted the right to host the AU Sport Development Games, formerly the Supreme Council for Africa Zone VI Games for the Under-20s, with Bulawayo being selected as the host city for the event set for November 2014.
The Sports Commission has already appointed, Henry Manzungu, as the chief executive for the Local Organising Committee ahead of the Sports Education and Technical Working Group meeting that had nine out of the 10 members states represented yesterday.
The Technical Working Group meeting is being held to assess the progress that the member states have achieved since their last meeting in July in Namibia.
The aim of the Sports Education and Accreditation System is to standardise the sport education within the Zone and the meeting will end today with a field visit to Epworth where there will be Youth Education through sport district qualifiers for the National YES Festival to be held in December 2013 in Masvingo.
Principal director in the Ministry of Sport, Arts and Culture, Paul Damasane said it was high time that sport is taken a viable tool of livelihood.
Damasane said it was the duty of the organs like the Sports Education and Technical Working Group to advance the importance of sports education.
“We feel that as part of the SEAS objectives you need to ensure that sport is taken as a form of employment because sport should play a meaningful role in the growth and development of our economy.
“Sport should ensure that it brings food on the tables of the athletes and the national economies in general,” said Damasane.
Damasane challenged the participants to ensure that they share the knowledge that they have on sport science and education for the benefit of their nations.
Hosts Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique, Lesotho, Swaziland, Namibia, Malawi, South Africa and Zambia are attending the meeting while were absent Angola.
Newly-appointed secretary in the Ministry of Sport, Arts and Culture, Thokozile Chitepo believes that the Games will leave a positive impression.
Chitepo said sports facilities in Bulawayo will be revamped for the benefit of the locals while Zimbabwe could also boost its sport tourism.
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