SPORTS: Zimbabwe geared for Youth Games

Fatima Bulla – Senior Sports Reporter

ZIMBABWE is primed to successfully host the African Union Sports Council Region V Under-20 Youth Games set for Bulawayo in December, the organization’s secretary general Mvuzo Mbebe has said.

In an interview on the sidelines of the Games’ torch-lighting ceremony at State House last week, Mbebe expressed confidence that the country will tick all the boxes when the “historic” Games run from the 5th to the 14th of December.

“The games in Zimbabwe , under the theme “Reach For Greatness”, are historical amongst others the following: they are the first games to be held under the banner of AUSC after we moved from the Supreme Council for Sport in Africa.

“So it’s historical for us because in the history of the African Union Sport Council Region V we will ask: when was the game changer, when did it change, when did the people of this region know that we are no more Supreme Council? We will say it happened in Zimbabwe.

“Secondly they are historical in that President Mugabe is the only remaining Excellency who formed the Southern African Sports Council under SCSA in 1991,” Mbebe said.

Mbebe disclosed that this year’s Games are expected to attract 1200 participants drawn from 11 countries.

“We started at a small scale with five sporting codes, tennis, athletics, football, netball and boxing, to the current sporting codes which now include people with disabilities in athletics, judo, swimming and basketball. What else can we say, it is reaching for greatness,” said the South African native.

Mbebe revealed that his organization was initially hesitant about having the games held in Bulawayo as they believed the city did not have requisite infrastructure.

“When you organize these games you need to have options. I am not unhappy but it is always difficult to compare with other countries because there are different challenges and different successes.

“Initially we thought Harare would be a better option but the Local Organising Committee has moved swiftly to get Bulawayo ready and we are confident of hosting successful games” Mbebe said.

It emerged during Thursday’s lighting ceremony that President Mugabe was firmly against the idea of moving the games from Bulawayo as was first proposed by former Education, Arts and Sports Minister David Coltart last year.

“He (Coltart) said, ‘We can’t do in Bulawayo because there are so many things that need to be done. We haven’t got the money and the time schedule also is against us so let us change the venue’. Then I said, ‘Are you becoming spineless, Mr Coltart? Come on strengthen your spine, Games will be held in Bulawayo,” said the President to wild applause.

“I want it to be done for Bulawayo because of all our cities, it is the one which has suffered the most because of sanctions.”