NATIONAL sporting associations have stepped up their preparations for the African Union Sports Council Region V Under-20 Youth Games to be held in Bulawayo on December 5 to 15.
SUKOLUHLE MTHETHWA/THANDIWE MOYO
Zimbabwe will host 15 countries who will take part in eight sports codes – netball, athletics, swimming, boxing, basketball, tennis, judo and football.
The Zimbabwe Swimming Board of Control is set to hold the National Sprint Championship in Mutare on October 18.
The boards Lorna Riley confirmed the championships.
“We will be hosting the National Sprint Championships on October 18 in Mutare. We are expecting everybody at the gala. We have been preparing in different areas,” she said.
“We have some swimmers outside the country. We have been using pools that are not standard, but we have been doing the best that we could. At the moment in Bulawayo we do not have a swimming pool as it is under construction.”
The Bulawayo Pool which is mainly used for competitions both provincial and national, is under construction for the Region V Games.
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A new 25mx25m pool is being constructed and is expected to be all-weather while the 50mx50m is being refurbished.
The pools should be complete in time for the games and the construction of the smaller pool will come in handy for Bulawayo as there was no pool for juniors.
Letitia Chipandu, the Zimbabwe Netball Association president said preparations were going well and most of the players that were selected for national duty were attached to Super League teams.
“We have been taking part in a number of competitions throughout this period. The bulk of the players were part of the team that competed in the African Youth Championships in Botswana and we played well. We did not bring a medal, but our scores told a different story,” she said.
Chipandu added that the Region V Games team was the 11th side at the Zimbabwe National Youth Games.
“We brought a team for the Zimbabwe Youth Games and they did not lose a match.
“The bulk of the players are also attached to Super League teams such as Khami, ZPC Hwange, Hwange Colliery and other teams. They are training throughout the week and playing competitive matches. We are leaving no stone unturned in our preparations for the games,” she said.
“We will have the camp sometime in November.”
Basketball Union of Zimbabwe secretary-general Joe Mujuru said all was well in terms of preparations although they were facing a few challenges.
“The team is preparing for the games, but because of budget restrictions some of the players camp in Harare others in Bulawayo. We have coaches like Tawanda Chitsinde and Eric Banda who have lots of experience as players and coaches. Chitsinde won the top schools basketball competition with Churchill High School last week,” he said.
Mujuru said they were expecting the whole team to regroup in Harare this weekend.
“The basketball team is meeting in Harare from Friday to Sunday for a combined camp. We have 12 players each in the boys and girls’ sections and two reserves each for both teams.
“We usually get medals in the competition. Since we are hosting we expect to get gold or silver medals,” he said.
