Region Five Under-20 games launch postponed

Sikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
THE official launch of the African Union Region Five Under-20 Games has been postponed from March 28 to a later date due to some logistical challenges. Officials however remain upbeat that the ceremony will be held soon with the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Sport, Arts and Culture, Thokozile Chitepo telling Chronicle Sport that the ceremony could be held before mid next month.

“We shall advise soon of the launch as we are still finalising on some logistical issues. We had initially set March 28 but a clash of dates has forced us to freeze it for a while,” said Henry Manzungu, the chief executive officer of the local organising committee.

The government has reiterated its stance that it will meet the end of September deadline for everything to be in order.
She said various projects have different deadlines set with the main deadline for everything to be complete being September.

The Region Five Games were inaugurated in 2004 in Mozambique following a Council of Ministers of the Supreme Council for Sports in Africa (SCSA) then Zone VI meeting held in 1997 in Cabinda, Angola. On 7 September, 1999 during a special meeting of the Zone Six Supreme Council for Sport in Africa in Johannesburg, it was agreed that the games be held bi–annually on a compulsory and rotational basis by the member states.

The games have since been organised and hosted by Mozambique 2004, Namibia 2006, South Africa 2008, Swaziland 2010 and Zambia played host to the fifth edition in 2012.

The aim of the event is to use sport to achieve peace, integration and unity in Africa and sport as a vehicle for encouraging people to develop and come together irrespective of colour, economic status, political inclination, class or gender. The games bring together different people from all over Southern Africa, who not only compete for medals but build lasting friendships, during and after the games.