adminEllina Mhlanga Sports Reporter
CHEF de mission for Team Zimbabwe to compete in the Africa Youth Games to be held in Gaborone, Botswana, in May, Addison Chiware says they have made some satisfactory progress in their preparations for the second edition of the Games.
The Games are set to run from May 22 to 31 and are for athletes between the ages of 14 to 18, born January 1, 1996 to December 31, 2000, but certain sports have specific age requirements.
Chiware said preparations are well on course and they have managed to meet some of the deadlines and are now left with finalising the final team to represent Zimbabwe in Gaborone.
“The Zimbabwe Olympic Committee have made satisfactory progress in the preparations for the Games.
“To date the following deadlines have been met — November 28, 2013 submitting by number per discipline and November 28 submitting the entry by name to the organising committee. Twelve disciplines have been entered on the long list – athletics, basketball, golf, judo, karate, netball, rowing, tennis, triathlon, swimming, rugby 7s and volleyball. The final shortlist will be finalised after March 31, 2014.
“The process of selecting the disciplines was undertaken in accordance with laid out process and procedure approved by the board enacted by the technical commission by way of general appreciation, criteria based on past results, prospective performance and it follows the principles of ZOC long-term winning strategy,” said Chiware.
Chiware said some of the sport codes are using the Games as their qualifying event for the second Summer Youth Olympic Games scheduled for Nanjing, China, from August 16 to 28.
“The principle for participation in the African Youth Games is as per the guidelines outlined by the Organising Committee, which liaises with the respective continental and international federations. The sport codes participate by via a quota system for individual sports and by invitation for team sports. For the disciplines of athletics, swimming and basketball, the Africa Youth Games are designated qualifying events for the Youth Olympic Games as determined by IAAF, FINA and FIBA respectively,” added Chiware.
On the team’s budget for the Games, Chiware said the National Olympic Committee will be better placed to comment after the announcement of the final team.
The Africa Youth Games were first held in 2010 in Rabat, Morocco, and Zimbabwe were represented by two athletes only in athletics – sprinter Tinashe Mutanga and middle-distance runner Sithulisiwe Zhou.
Mutanga scooped two gold medals in the 100m and 200m events while Zhou finished 16th in the 1 500m event.
The Games are run by the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (Anoca). They were introduced in 2010 as a platform to prepare African athletes for the Youth Olympic Games.
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