admin
Sports Reporter
THE African Union Sports Council Region 5 and Mozambique have signed a protocol agreement that will govern the organisation and hosting of the 11th edition of the Region 5 Youth Games in 2024.
By signing the protocol agreement, Mozambique made a bold statement of intent to host the games in accordance with the Region 5 rotational order.
The games return to Mozambique, 20 years after the inaugural edition which was staged in 2004 in the city of Maputo.
The Region 5 Youth Games, which are held every two years, have grown to become a major regional tournament in southern Africa.
The games attract an average of 3 000 athletes and officials in 11 sports codes.
Athletes compete over a 10-day period of explosive action battling for supremacy.
The games have become a significant catalyst for development in the Region 5 member countries. The AUSC Region 5 comprises of 10 member countries – Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The hosting of the Region 5 Games has led to establishment and rehabilitation of sporting and non-sporting infrastructure that has gone on to change lives and livelihoods. An average of 2 000 jobs have been created because of these Games.
Governments have invested on average of US$20 million in infrastructure development. Host countries have received an average of US$1 million in participation fees from those countries taking part in the games.
Other infrastructure such as roads and internet coverage have received major boost as has hotels in the host countries that have enjoyed hundred percent occupancy for a period of over two weeks. In addition, thousands of spectators have been thrilled watching these Games in various competition venues where over 100 000 spectators attend in a period of 10 days thereby strengthening social cohesion.
An average of 10 million viewers from across the region watch on television with millions more following on various social media platforms.
Speaking during the signing ceremony in Maputo, the Region 5 Chief Executive Officer, Stanley Mutoya of Zimbabwe, narrated the impact that these Games have made in the lives of athletes.
“The games are coming back home where they started. In 2004, the games saw the likes of Collins Mbesuma of Zambia being part of the cast that has grown over the years to include Caster Semenya and Wayde Van Niekerk (South Africa), Partson Daka (Zambia and now playing for Leicester City Football Club in the English Premier league), Zimbabwe’s Donata Katai, Botswana’s Nijel Amos and Naomi Ruele and just recently Namibian Christine Mboma,’’ Mutoya said.
“This goes to show both the relevance and the contribution of the Region 5 Games towards excellence in sport.”
Mozambique will be receiving the hosting mantle from Malawi who are scheduled to host the 10th edition of the games from 2 to 11 December 11, 2022.
Already a total of 1 910 athletes have been accredited for the Malawi Games with 675 volunteers recruited to provide support service during the Games.
Gilberto Carlos Mendes, Mozambique’s Secretary of State for Sport, was elated that Mozambique had signed the 2024 games protocol agreement.
“As Mozambique, we are delighted to be hosting these prestigious games for the second time in 20 years and we promise to deliver the best Games the Region has ever hosted,” Mendes said.
Immediately after the protocol agreement signing ceremony, Mutoya led a delegation on a tour of the sporting facilities that Mozambique earmarks to host the games.
The site inspection was meant to give an indication of the sporting disciplines that Mozambique could include on the games programme while allowing the Region to provide guidance to the host country on the level of rehabilitation for Mozambique to meet the minimum required standards.
Mozambique will be granted the liberty to propose an additional sport code to be added to the games official programme. This is a long-standing tradition of the games meant to provide the host country an opportunity to choose a popular sport that will attract spectators as well as one in which their greatest potential for winning medals lies.
The Region 5 delegation was led by Mutoya in the company of Nonofo Sephatla from the Botswana office and the Region 5 legal counsel Evelyn Mutsvangwa.
The African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5 is the sports arm of the African Union (AU) and an organ of the AUSC. The main aim of the AUSC Region 5 is to use sport to achieve peace, integration and unity in Africa i.e. sport as a vehicle for creating hope and encouraging people to develop and come together, irrespective of colour, economic status, political, class, or gender.
The mandate includes coordination of sports development and sport for development within the Region and ensuring high performance and socio-economic transformation of societies through sport. This is done through hosting of events such as the biennial Region 5 Youth Games, Regional Annual Sports Awards and Regional Marathon, among others.
The AU divided Africa into five regions due to the vastness of the continent and for effective coordination purposes.
Online Reporter