Brandon Moyo/ Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporters

TEAM Zimbabwe athletes who are set to participate in the 10th edition of the African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5 Games in Lilongwe, Malawi, early next month are set to depart the country today to the neighbouring host nation.

The games are set to run from December 2 up to 11 in the Malawian capital.

The Zimbabwean athletes went into camp on November 18 at the Harare Institute of Technology and this year’s event will be running under the theme “Igniting the African Dream”. The games will attract 10 countries from the region African Union Sports Council Region 5.

The 10-member countries which are the hosts, Malawi, South Africa, Mozambique, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia and Angola will also be joined by Seychelles, Mauritius and Tanzania in other sporting disciplines.

Zimbabwe will be represented in athletics (mainstream and for the visually impaired), basketball, boxing, judo, gymnastics, taekwondo, netball, tennis and volleyball. The team departs with 205 athletes that will participate across the mentioned sporting codes.

Team Zimbabwe Chef de Mission, Masimba Mutemaringa said they are not just going to Malawi just to add numbers but to compete and will give it their all at the games.

“I must tell you that we are going to Malawi to indeed represent the country and give good competition to our competitors, accumulate good results and attain medals for the country.

“The athletes are all fired up in all the disciplines, we have great athletes like Panashe from athletics who was at the World Championships, we have Donata who also represented the country at the Olympics, we have Benedict in tennis who is ranked number eight in the region and 24 in the continent,” said Mutemaringa.

“We have a volleyball team that represented the country in the previous edition which accumulated some experience and we are hoping that they are going to put up a good performance and a good show.

Our netball team (the young Gems) were here in Malawi for the tri-nations tournament and they were impressive. Basically, team Zimbabwe is ready.”

The send-off ceremony for the team was held yesterday in the capital and was presided over by the Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation, Kirsty Coventry. The event also included the announcement and unveiling of the team.

Mutemaringa said they received tremendous support from the Government where all funding and requirements for the team have been sourced and delivered.

Mutemaringa, who travelled early to Malawi said everything is now ready for the games and are now awaiting the team to arrive.

Team Zimbabwe will be welcomed by Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to Malawi, Nancy Saungweme who has mobilised Zimbabweans in the host nation to come and support the team.

The Chef de Mission who is satisfied with how organised the host country is in terms of its readiness to stage the games said they are looking forward to a great experience in Malawi.

Brandon Moyo/ Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporters

TEAM Zimbabwe athletes who are set to participate in the 10th edition of the African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5 Games in Lilongwe, Malawi, early next month are set to depart the country today to the neighbouring host nation.

The games are set to run from December 2 up to 11 in the Malawian capital.

The Zimbabwean athletes went into camp on November 18 at the Harare Institute of Technology and this year’s event will be running under the theme “Igniting the African Dream”. The games will attract 10 countries from the region African Union Sports Council Region 5.

The 10-member countries which are the hosts, Malawi, South Africa, Mozambique, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia and Angola will also be joined by Seychelles, Mauritius and Tanzania in other sporting disciplines.

Zimbabwe will be represented in athletics (mainstream and for the visually impaired), basketball, boxing, judo, gymnastics, taekwondo, netball, tennis and volleyball. The team departs with 205 athletes that will participate across the mentioned sporting codes.

Team Zimbabwe Chef de Mission, Masimba Mutemaringa said they are not just going to Malawi just to add numbers but to compete and will give it their all at the games.

“I must tell you that we are going to Malawi to indeed represent the country and give good competition to our competitors, accumulate good results and attain medals for the country.

“The athletes are all fired up in all the disciplines, we have great athletes like Panashe from athletics who was at the World Championships, we have Donata who also represented the country at the Olympics, we have Benedict in tennis who is ranked number eight in the region and 24 in the continent,” said Mutemaringa.

“We have a volleyball team that represented the country in the previous edition which accumulated some experience and we are hoping that they are going to put up a good performance and a good show.

Our netball team (the young Gems) were here in Malawi for the tri-nations tournament and they were impressive. Basically, team Zimbabwe is ready.”

The send-off ceremony for the team was held yesterday in the capital and was presided over by the Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation, Kirsty Coventry. The event also included the announcement and unveiling of the team.

Mutemaringa said they received tremendous support from the Government where all funding and requirements for the team have been sourced and delivered.

Mutemaringa, who travelled early to Malawi said everything is now ready for the games and are now awaiting the team to arrive.

Team Zimbabwe will be welcomed by Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to Malawi, Nancy Saungweme who has mobilised Zimbabweans in the host nation to come and support the team.

The Chef de Mission who is satisfied with how organised the host country is in terms of its readiness to stage the games said they are looking forward to a great experience in Malawi.