Munyonga lands Africa post

when the Warriors’ team doctor was appointed to the Supreme Council for Sport in Africa’s Zone VI Games organising committee.
Munyonga, a long serving member of the Warriors technical team, also serves on the World Anti-Doping Agency and the Fifa medical committee.
It was against the background of his experience in the sports medicine field that Munyonga was identified by SCSA and tasked with being part of the continental body’s Zone VI Under-20 Youth Games organising committee.
The last edition of the Zone VI games were held in Swaziland in December last year.
But Munyonga and his new colleagues on the regional organising committee will be tasked with handling the preparations for the next edition of the Youth Games scheduled for Zambia in 2012.
Munyonga’s appointment to the important committee received government backing with Education, Sport, Arts and Culture Minister David Coltart sending his letter of support to the SCSA Zone VI secretariat in line with the African body’s constitutional requirement.
Mvuzo Mbebe, SCSA secretary-general and treasurer had written to Coltart seeking the Zimbabwe government endorsement of Munyonga’s appointment.
“The secretariat of the Supreme Council for Sport in Africa (SCSA) Zone VI identified Dr. Munyonga to serve on the Zonal organising committee (ZOC) for the SCSA Zone VI Under-20 Youth Games.
“He was identified because of his in depth knowledge and experience.
“The Zone is requesting you Honourable Minister to write a letter supporting the appointment of Dr. Munyonga. It is important that Dr. Munyonga is assured of Zimbabwe’s support.
“The Zone’s constitution also requires that selected and nominated people produce support letters from their Ministries of Sport,” wrote Mbebe.
Coltart in his letter of confirmation expressed confidence in Munyonga’s capabilities and reckoned he would serve the organising committee well.
“This letter serves to confirm my support for your proposal to appoint Dr Nicholas Munyonga to the Zonal organising committee of the SCSA Zone VI Under-20 Youth Games. “Dr Munyonga has always demonstrated unmitigated commitment to the development of sport in Zimbabwe and the region and I am confident that he will acquit himself well in his duties on the Zonal organising committee.
“May I take this opportunity to wish you success in your organisation of the 2012 Games scheduled to be held in Zambia and to assure you of Zimbabwe’s commitment to play its part in the success of those Games,” wrote Coltart. An elated Munyonga yesterday pledged to “do my best to serve the region in anti-doping control and prevention and help fly the country’s flag high”.
“I think it is a great honour for me to be recognised in the region.
“The appointment is in my individual capacity and I believe it is a recognition of the work I have been doing for anti-doing in the region.
“Now I will be able to organise the anti-doping services for the young athletes in the region and I will do my best to fly my country’s flag high,” Munyonga said.
Munyonga is also expected to be in Maputo, Mozambique for the 10th All-Africa Games and the Warriors doctor believes that it will give him a platform to assess how the anti-doping services for the Games have been planned. “My trip to the All-Africa Games in Mozambique will give me a chance to assess how they organised those services and improve that for the zone,” Munyonga said. In August last year Munyonga was in Singapore for the inaugural Youth Olympic Games where he did duty for WADA and helped carry out doping tests for the young athletes. He was part of a team of seven experts that introduced a new WADA programme – Play True Generation Programme.