admincelebrations albeit only through the hosting of the canoeing competition in a place called Chidenguele and specifically on Nhambavale lake.
With competitions for all the other 19 sport codes taking place in and around Maputo, is it any wonder that the land of the Shangaan in general and the Chidenguele community in particular are buzzing with excitement almost in tandem with the Games’ countdown?
Real developments on the ground such as rehabilitation and development of infrastructure, including access roads, as well as opportunities for temporary employment of locals have convinced even cynical observers here that the much touted concept of Games’ legacy is not far-fetched after all.
The energetic Mozambican Minister of Youth and Sports, Pedrito Caetano, last weekend led a high-powered delegation to Gaza province to assess progress on preparations for staging the canoeing competition.
He was accompanied by the National Sports Director, Inacio Bernardo, the COJA Director-General, Jose Salomone Cossa, the COJA Head of Sports Venues, Samsone Zicai and of course yours truly tagged along.
Apart from visiting the competition venue, Caetano was to engage key stakeholders such as the Provincial Governor, venue contractors and other service providers.
The 270km trip to Chidenguele on Friday afternoon was quite an eye opener for me given the fact that I was venturing into new territory as my previous visits to Mozambique had basically confined me to within a
50km radius of Maputo.
I always find the countryside refreshing (what with all the fresh air and proximity to nature) and this long drive gave me the opportunity to view, along the way, big sugar plantations, small plots of communal farmers with maize under rudimentary irrigation, some sparse forests and seemingly endless tracts of pasture land.
The N1 highway, linking the north and the south, which I must say is in mint condition, enabled us to literally glide through the province, as we quickly went past Manhica and Macia towns; we were waved through a number of police roadblocks as we headed to the provincial capital, Xai-Xai (pronounced Shai-Shai).
It was good to see residents of this city going about their business with zest and gusto because as some may recall, the terrible floods of 2000 devastated this city and as a result it was, for some time, deserted and inaccessible, but fortunately these are now just distant memories as the city has fully recovered from that major setback.
We eventually reached Chidenguele, which is situated 60km from Xai-Xai, at dusk and our delegation spent the night at Lakeview Resort but not before holding detailed discussions with the Provincial Director of Youth and Sports, Joao Mucavel.
The first order of business on Saturday morning was to visit the competition venue.
We braved the chilly weather and negotiated the thick fog and mist; fortunately it was a very short drive.
The selected competition site itself meets technical requirements and specifications as stipulated by the relevant sports confederation but it offers much more in terms of beautiful scenery and spectacular views which combine to create an unforgettable experience.
One of course hopes that this “God-sent” resort environment will not be a distraction but will instead help athletes to focus and produce their best possible performances in September.
Until recently this venue was merely open ground next to the lake but as things stand now most of the permanent and temporary structures are nearing completion with a handover ceremony date of July 31 confirmed by the contractors.
Access roads have been upgraded, improving accessibility and safety.
Given the distance of Chidenguele from Maputo, the canoe/kayak athletes and officials will be accommodated in this locality for the duration of their competition scheduled to commence on September 5 and end on September 11. These athletes and officials will enjoy the best of both worlds as they can rejoin their colleagues (in other sports) in the Maputo Games Village when their competition ends.
The sports of canoeing, rowing and sailing have always had this unique advantage but sadly rowing is no longer on the 10th All-Africa Games programme following adjustments made by the responsible authorities in April.
The Minister’s engagements with the key stakeholders all yielded positive results and these included his meeting with the Provincial Governor, Raimundo Diomba, the venue contractors, service providers and the media who had the opportunity to interview Caetano at length.
All is now set for the entire Gaza province and the community of Chidenguele to warmly welcome and provide hospitality to the visitors, playing the perfect role of true hosts.
While our delegation was not able to visit the famous Bilene beach which is the most popular tourist resort in the Gaza province, the canoe/kayak teams may very well have such a visit lined up by their hosts who I
am sure would be proud to show off one of their most prized tourism assets to these sportspersons-cum-sports tourists. The bold message now being beamed across the entire continent from both Maputo and Gaza is: “Let the Games begin!”.
- Robert Mutsauki is the former Zimbabwe Olympic Committee chief executive who is now working as the Technical Director of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa and has been seconded to the 10th All-Africa Games’ organising committee (COJA) in Maputo.
Online Reporter