adminCollin Matiza Sports Editor
THE African Union Sports Council Region 5 will host a Regional Sports Confederations Forum from June 24 to 26 in Bulawayo.
The Confederations Forum is held once every four years as stipulated by Article 34 of African Union Sports Council Region 5 Constitution.
The event draws delegates from presidents, secretaries general and technical directors of all Regional Sports Confederations affiliated to the AUSC Region 5.
According to to the AUSC Region 5 general manager, Stanley Mutoya, 19 Regional Confederations have been invited to attend this Forum which will run under the theme “Driving towards sustainable excellence”.
The Forum seeks to engage Regional Confederations to address key strategic issues with the view to enhancing their functioning and effectiveness.
“The event is further used to evaluate effectiveness of Confederations’ programmes and activities and subsequently draw and align the Regional Confederations’ programmes to the AUSC Region 5 Strategic Plan.
“This year’s Confederations Forum will serve as a review of the status of implementation of the Confederations resolutions made in April 2014 in Livingstone, Zambia,” Mutoya said from his base in Gaborone, Botswana.
These resolutions were dubbed “The Livingstone Declaration”.
This Forum will further deliberate the role of Regional Confederations in the implementation of the AUSC Region 5 Podium Performance Programme.
“This is the Region’s High Performance Programme that aims at producing athletes that can win medals at major international competitions including the Olympic Games.
“Distinguished speakers have been lined up to lead and stimulate debate and discussions through presentations and panel discussions,” Mutoya said.
Delegates from the African Union Commission in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and the Association of African Sports Confederations from Cameroon will join other distinguished dignitaries among them being the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Andrew Langa and Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa secretary-general Tommy Ganda Sithole.
The Forum will be preceded by a stakeholders meeting which will be held on June 22 and 23.
The stakeholders meeting forms part of the Region’s outreach Programme.
Key sports stakeholders in Zimbabwe have been invited to attend the meeting whose aim is to create awareness of the Region’s mandate, programmes and activities.
Stakeholders that include National Sports Associations, The Zimbabwe Olympic Committee, the Sports Commission, Zimbabwe Paralympic Committee, Schools and Tertiary Sports Associations will have a rare opportunity to appreciate details pertaining to such programmes as the AUSC Region 5 Games, Confederations Assistance Programme, Regional Museum, Regional Rewards Programme, Sports Education and Accreditation Programme and several Sports Development and Sports for Development programmes.
The AUSC Region 5 is a 10-member organization that serves as the implementing arm of all SADC sports programmes.
The 10-member countries that make up the AUSC Region 5 are Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The AUSC Region 5 Head Office is based in Gaborone, Botswana.
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