adminEllina Mhlanga
Sports Reporter
THE organisers of the Danhiko Annual Paralympic Games are looking at improving the event so that it becomes a platform to groom future paralympians that can compete at major competitions.
The Games returned over the weekend after a two-year break because of the Covid-19 pandemic with participants taking part in athletics, football, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis and chess.
They dropped slalom and swimming this year.
Chengetai School from Manicaland were the overall winners after accumulating 105 points.
Danhiko Sports Club were second with 103 points and Jairos Jiri St Faith finished third with 55 points.
The Games’ Organising Committee chairperson, Walter Zininga, said taking into account the disturbances due to the covid-19, the turnout was good.
“The athletes and officials were excited to come back to Danhiko after a two-year absence and the turnout that we had, I would want to say it was fair because we had reduced the numbers due to Covid-19 regulations.
“So in total, we had 25 teams and we had around 500 athletes and officials that came.
“One of the reasons why we dropped some of the disciplines is we wanted to limit the numbers. If we had put all the disciplines it was going to be a little bit difficult to manage, so we cut some of the events though we are hoping that next year’s edition we will slot in those events that we had dropped.
“In terms of quality I would say the quality was okay though of course we expected better because these kids, some of them were not training because of a two year-sabbatical. So it was a little bit difficult for them to get to train and also to get in the right frame,” said Zininga.
The Games are usually held over three days but with the reduced numbers this year, it was a two-day event.
They provide a platform for people with disabilities to showcase their talent and teams are drawn from all provinces.
This year saw a team from Zambia also taking part.
Zininga said they are hoping the Games continue to improve going into the future and become a platform for grooming professional athletes.
“We are hoping next year teams are going to prepare a little bit early and we hope that the quality is going to improve over the years because we are shifting our Games from social integration to professional sports.
“We want to use these Games as a platform where we can groom paralympians who can participate at national and international level. So definitely we are hoping, we are going to put measures for our sports to improve because we want to match national and international standards,” said Zininga.
However, he noted that they would need resources for their plans to turn into a reality as there are various aspects they will need to attend to including the refurbishment of some of their existing infrastructure.
Delta Corporation general manager — corporate affairs, Patricia Murambinda, said they will continue to contribute in making a difference in communities they operate in as they continue to support the Games.
“As a good corporate citizen, Delta will continue to work with the community. Delta is an integral part of the Zimbabwean community and as such it will continue to value its role in uplifting the lives of people and extending a much needed helping hand to the needy.”
They are one of the major sponsors of the Games.
Online Reporter