adminBukhosi Mangena Sports Correspondent
THE Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Lazarus Dokora will officially open the Confederation of Southern Africa School Sports’ Association (Cosassa) ball games that start in Bulawayo tomorrow. About 1,000 athletes from Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland and Zimbabwe will attend the official opening ceremony at White City Stadium at 10AM, with the actual competitions starting soon after.
Defending champions Botswana’s Under-13 and Under-17 teams arrived in Bulawayo on Monday, and the other neighbouring countries’ squads are expected to arrive today.
Zimbabwe finished second in last year’s edition and would be seeking to use home advantage to win this year’s games.
Team Zimbabwe’s Under-17 teams joined their Under-13 compatriots in camp at Northlea High School on Monday after the National Youth Games, and the full squad will have its official send-off today at 2.30PM.
The squad will then move into the games’ village at Hillside Teachers’ College.
Zimbabwe’s games contingent consists of 258 athletes and officials, and deputy chef de mission Arthur Maphosa said all was in place for the tournament.
“All is now in place for the games and we can tell you that all participating teams are expected to arrive tomorrow (today). As for Team Zimbabwe, everything has gone well.
“We will however finalise some minor details with our (Cosassa) vice-president (Solomon) Duiker, who will land anytime soon from Namibia,” said Maphosa.
The ball games will utilise most facilities that were used in last year’s African Union Sports Council Region 5 Under-20 Youth Games after the Bulawayo City Council availed them at no charge. Girls’ College also offered its basketball facilities.
Athletes will battle it out in sevens’ rugby (boys Under-17), tennis (all age groups boys and girls), basketball (boys and girls Under-17), football (boys and girls), and netball (girls Under-13 and Under-17).
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