adminEllina Mhlanga Sports Reporter
ALL is set for this year’s National Youth Games with all provinces expected to converge in Bulawayo today for the week-long event.
The Games begin tomorrow with the official opening while the actual competition takes off on Monday. Bulawayo will be hosting the Games for the second time, having hosted the inaugural event in 2003 and they have been held on a rotational basis among the country’s 10 provinces for the past 10 years. Participants will compete in football with the boys playing at White City Stadium while the girls will be at Barbourfields.
Netball will also be held at the same venue. Handball will be at Luveve High and Northlea High as well as basketball. Milton High will play host to volleyball while boxing is set for Stanley Square in Makokoba.
Tennis and athletics will be held at Girls College and National University of Science and Technology respectively. Bulawayo Sports Co-ordinator, Simbarashe Nzvimbo, said they were ready to host the Games.
“Preparations are on course and accreditation started quite well, it has been online.
“We are through with Bulawayo, Midlands and we are now working on Matabeleland North, hoping that by the end of the day today (yesterday) we would have done five provinces and tomorrow (today) we are hoping that by midday we would be done accrediting all athletes.
“In terms of technical preparedness, facilities are ready.
“We expect provinces to be in tomorrow, however, the provincial general managers are already here, they arrived yesterday (Thursday).
“We are saying we are ready to accommodate and receive our visitors,” said Nzvimbo.
Nzvimbo said they will be out to win the title, having played second fiddle to Harare, who have dominated the Games since their inception in 2003.
“We are expecting something new on the beginning of the second cycle of the Games hoping to be champions.
“We can’t be defeated on our backyard when we have put up fantastic facilities, we need to win to celebrate those facilities.
Online Reporter