Youth Games reach climax

Sports Reporters
MOST sporting disciplines among the eight that competitors are battling for supremacy will get into the semi-finals today (Friday) subsequently reaching their climax tomorrow (Saturday). The Zimbabwe National Youth Games competitions took a one-day break on Wednesday and resumed on Thursday (yesterday). During the break, athletes and officials who are taking part in this year’s edition of the annual multi-sports discipline event took time to visit the Chimoio Shrines in neighbouring Mozambique. Youth Games chief executive officer, Cosmas Chiringa, expressed hope that the Games will end without major challenges.

“So far so good. The Games are going on well and I hope the same environment will prevail up until the end of the competitions,” said Chiringa on Wednesday. Stakeholders in the Zimbabwe National Youth Games 2015 edition were also hosted to a civic reception held at Mutare Hall (formerly Queens Hall) on Wednesday night.
The event was hosted by City of Mutare.

NYGs local organising committee boxing director, Aaron Chinyamunzore, said things were going smoothly with all the provinces represented except for Matabeleland South which was still resolving its issues on payment of affiliation fees.He said 92 boxers comprising of 56 males and 36 females were taking part in NYGs boxing matches.
There are seven weight categories comprising of bantam (56kg), light (60kg), light welter (64kg), welter (69kg), middle (75kg), light fly (46-49kg) and fly (52kg).

Some scintillating fights have already been displayed by some of the recognisable medalists from last year’s edition, the likes of Dignity Ncube from Matabeleland South who was a bantam weight gold medalist last year.Ncube stamped his authority in his first fight convincingly defeating Bulawayo Province’s Bongani Ndlovu.However, the highlight of the boxing games so far was Tuesday when last year’s NYGs bantam weight silver medalist knocked out Manicaland’s unheralded Harmony Mlambo in the first round in the bantam weight fight.Other notable big names from last year’s games taking part again this year are Freeman Mavhongwe (Mashonalanad East) and Itai Mutsvairo (Harare Province) who were all gold medalists last year.

In football for boys, Masvingo and Mashonaland are the only provinces that did not field participants for both boys and girls soccer.
The participating eight provinces were placed in two groups, with Group A comprising hosts Manicaland, Bulawayo, Matebeleland North and Mashonaland West, while Matebeleland South, Harare, Midlands and Mashonaland Central are in Group B.Hosts, Manicaland were held to a two all stalemate by Bulawayo in a group stage match. Group stage matches were expected to be finalised by yesterday (Thursday) culminating into the finals on Saturday.

In girls’ soccer, Group A comprises Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland West, Midlands and Manicaland while Group B has Matebeleland North, Bulawayo, Harare and Matebeleland South. Mashonaland Central had dismissed Mashonaland West 3-0 in Group A, while Matebeleland North were on the receiving end of a slender 1-0 defeat at the hands of Bulawayo.

However, one match in the boys’ soccer and one in girls’ soccer could not be played since Matebeleland South participants for both competitions had not yet been accredited by yesterday afternoon. In netball, matches were been played at Dangare Primary School situated in the sprawling suburb of Sakubva.
Only six provinces are battling it out in the round robin stage that will see five matches being played within the stipulated four days before the positional play-offs.
Manicaland, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East, Mashonaland West, Bulawayo, Harare make up the list of provinces that are competing in netball.

The host province Team Manicaland was walloped 28 – 19 by Mashonaland West while Mashonaland Central clobbered Mashonaland East 32 – 9 in exciting encounters played before lunch time yesterday.Harare Province was expected to lock horns with Bulawayo by yesterday (Thursday) afternoon Netball competitions director Alex Masimba said the first round of matches went on smoothly.

“We are happy with the proceedings so far. The games started on time. Only six teams are competing for the coveted prize. The finals pitting the number one and number two will be played on Saturday,” he said.

In a separate interview, the general manager of the National Youth Games Local Organizing Committee (LOC), Zakaria Chikwangwani, said turnout from all the provinces was impressive and unlike past years all the eight scheduled sporting disciplines were being played.

“For the National Youth Games usually we say if a sporting discipline fails to have more than half of the provinces fielding participants or teams, then that discipline is called off.
“But I am glad that we have managed to get more than half representation for each discipline which means all the games will be played,” said Chikwangwani.