adminSports Reporter
LOCAL organising committee chief executive for the National Youth Games Cosmas Chiringa has expressed satisfaction with the financial and material support they are receiving in the build-up to the event to be held in Mutare starting on Saturday.
Manicaland are the hosting province for this year’s edition and the Games are scheduled to run from August 15 to 23. They will be hosting the annual event for the second time having staged the 2005 competition.
Participants will compete in athletics, basketball, boxing, football, handball, netball and volleyball.
The participation fee is US$80 per athlete and each province is expected to field an average of 176 athletes.
There were worrying reports that preparations had been rocked by failure by most provinces to pay their participation fees.
Chiringa however, allayed those fears indicating that the corporate and well-wishers appear to have heeded the call by Manicaland Provincial Affairs Minister and patron of the Games Mandi Chimene to support the event with mining company Mbada Diamonds providing foodstuffs.
Among the stuff donated by Mbada are 25 tonnes of maize meal, 100 litres cooking oil, beasts and 200 pockets of potatoes.
Addressing delegates at a meeting held last week, Chimene said the province is geared to host yet another successful edition of the Youth Games.
Chimene, appealed to the business community, organisations and individuals to continue channelling resources towards the event.
“Manicaland set a standard that none has managed to equal in terms of orderliness during the annual event. Therefore, it is upon us to surpass the standards that we set when we hosted the event some years back. “My appeal is that we continue donating towards the event. We cannot go for cash only because we all know the cash squeeze that we are going through countrywide hence we welcome those who donate in kind.
Online Reporter