adminjustifiably pronounce itself “almost ready” to host the entire continent for three weeks.
The Games’ organising committee, otherwise known as COJA, has been working around the clock to ensure that come September it is all systems go.
Last Saturday I accompanied the Mozambican Minister of Youth and Sports, Pedrito Caetano, on a tour of the Games Village, the swimming complex and the National Sports Stadium all situated in the Zimpeto area of Maputo, a 30-minute drive from the city centre.
I was highly impressed by the structures put in place by the Mozambicans in a limited space of time.
Our first port of call was the Games Village which is really a beautiful ornament.
The athletes and team officials will enjoy a comfortable stay in this modern facility designed to accommodate close to 6 000 residents in apartments which in terms of quality match residences provided at major Games held on other continents.
Comfortable accommodation is of course one of the key ingredients required to host the Games successfully as the athletes need to relax, rest and recover adequately in-between training and competition.
The village is in its final stages of construction with about 80 percent of apartments ready for occupation but the process to procure and install appropriate furnishings is in its final stages.
The handover ceremony of the completed village is scheduled for August 20.
The swimming pool complex is a stone’s throw away from the Games Village and although also in its final stages of construction, this facility is “a thing of beauty”.
Two Olympic size swimming pools have been completed; one is for training and warm-up while the other one is for competition.
The spectator stands and supporting infrastructure are nearly complete.
A perfect platform has been created for Olympic champions Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe and Tunisia’s Oussama Mellouli to show their true class ahead of the London 2012 Olympic Games because the All-Africa Games are, among other things, a platform for worldclass African athletes to demonstrate excellence and in the process inspire up-and-coming talented youngsters.
The last leg of our tour was the imposing and magnificent National Sports Stadium which is also within shouting distance of both the village and the swimming complex.
This state-of-the-art facility with a capacity of 42 000 spectators has already successfully hosted some test events in athletics and soccer.
During the All-Africa Games this giant stadium will host the opening and closing ceremonies, the entire athletics competition and the soccer finals.
One can only hope that our worldclass track and field athletes will turn out in full force for the Games to proudly represent their respective nations and also to justify such a major investment.
A warm-up athletics track is under construction just next to the main stadium.
The proximity of the Games Village to the swimming complex and the main stadium will make life much easier for COJA and the teams in terms of attending opening and closing ceremonies and participating in athletics and swimming competitions as transport will not be required and precious time will be saved.
At one point I was tempted to ask the Minister to comment on the country’s state of preparedness to host the Games but decided against it, opting to let facts speak for themselves and deciding instead to stick to the script by being a good guest who offers advice and support as and when required.
It must be remembered that my role in Maputo is to advise and support COJA on organisational and technical matters.
I must hasten to add though that the Minister struck me as someone who is meticulous and thorough in his approach.
At the end of this tour, I got the impression that he was satisfied with the progress made since his last tour of these specific facilities.
In the coming days and weeks I will be touring other sports venues which have either been fully renovated or are in the final stages of the renewal process.
By mid-August all sports venues should be ready for full use and final testing by the respective sport codes.
The various COJA Commissions are leaving no stone unturned in a bid to ensure that these Games are not just a success but memorable as well.
Whether it is arrivals, accreditation, transport, accommodation and catering, ceremonies, technical or venues etc., one gets the impression that we are nearly there.
Test events have been successfully hosted in triathlon and beach volleyball in the last couple of weeks and daily rehearsals for opening and closing ceremonies involving a thousand young volunteers are in full swing.
To maintain the momentum on preparations, the second chefs de mission meeting has been called for July 29 and 30 in Maputo to give a comprehensive update to these team leaders and also to finalise outstanding thorny issues such as accreditation.
The expectation is that chefs de mission from all participating countries will turn up for this crucial meeting; the first chefs meeting in April had a rather disappointing turnout as only 28 countries were represented.
Mozambique may not have been given sufficient time to prepare for the hosting of this continental showcase (after the withdrawal of Zambia) but the organisers have made every effort to meet the stipulated standards, requirements and above all, expectations of the athletes who hopefully will describe Maputo as “a home away from home” during and after the Games. Let these Games be yet another rallying point for our beloved continent!
- Robert Mutsauki, the former Zimbabwe Olympic Committee chief executive, is the Technical Director of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (Anoca) who is currently seconded to the 10th All-Africa Games’ organising committee.
Bongani Ndlovu