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THE 10th edition of the Zimbabwe National Youth Games will be held from April 7-11 in the Mashonaland Central provincial capital Bindura, the Sports and Recreation Commission has announced.

The country’s supreme sports body said a budget of $750 000 had been set aside for the games.

The games are meant to create opportunities for people living with disabilities to access sport and recreation activities of their choice.

“The games, which were incepted in 2008 in Bulawayo, are the brainchild of the Government acting through SRC after having realised that there were few sporting and recreational platforms for the disabled.

“It is through these games that we have been able to reach out to all the provinces and even to the remote areas which were previously marginalised in respect of sport and recreation” said SRC spokesperson Tirivashe Nheweyembwa.

The games have also contributed to Zimbabwe’s participation in the African Union Sports Council Region 5 Under-20 Youth Games since 2004, with the SRC saying this was a demonstration that disability does not mean inability.

“Over the years, we have come second in the competition and by aggregation of the medals, athletics for the visually impaired will be carrying the majority of the medals,” said Nheweyembwa.

He said athletics for the visually impaired and amputees, 11-aside football and goal ball will be held at Chipadze High School, wheelchair basketball shall be at Chipindura High School, five-aside football for the intellectually challenged and netball for the hearing impaired have been set for Herman Gmenier.

Wheelchair tennis will be at Bindura Primary School.

“Efforts are now underway to ensure that the facilities are user friendly to our colleagues.

“It has been demonstrated before that these people can put us on the world sporting map through their undoubted exploits and athletes like Elliot Mujaji, Liana Sithole and Nyaradzai Tagarira are some of the fine examples that the country can boast about,” said Nheweyembwa. — The Herald.