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Ellina Mhlanga Sports Reporter
WITH just a month to go before the African Union Sports Council Region Five Under-20 Youth Games get underway in Bulawayo, Team Zimbabwe spokesperson Tirivashe Nheweyembwa said they have stepped up their preparations with the payment of the participation fees and accreditation of athletes.

The AUSC Region Five Games are scheduled for December 5 to 14 in Bulawayo with 11 countries participating in athletics, basketball, boxing, judo, football, netball, swimming and athletics.

Nheweyembwa said they are now preparing for the final camp to start on November 14.

“So far we have managed to accredit the whole team, you cannot participate in the Games if you are not accredited. We have been able to pay the participation fee of US$250 180 for the 304 athletes and officials.

“In terms of technical preparations, they are ongoing because the teams are meeting over the weekend and working with their coaches. In terms of the final camp we are looking at camping in Bulawayo from November 14 up the beginning of the Games,” Nheweyembwa said.

Nheweyembwa said the camp will give the coaches and athletes time to make their final touches ahead of the competition.

“The Games basically are starting on December 5 but the Games Village opens on December 1, so we are going into camp on November 14 the idea being that we want to make sure each and every team get to acclimatise with the Bulawayo weather.

“We want to make sure the coaches have enough time to come up with their combinations and make sure the athletes reach their peak performance before the Games start,” said Nheweyembwa.

Nheweyembwa, however, said they are still running around to ensure that they get full kit for the team.

“Administratively we are working round the clock to ensure that the team gets a full kit. We are appealing to the corporate world and well wishers to assist us.

“I will single out the visually impaired athletes, most of them are coming from difficult backgrounds so they won’t be able to afford a pair of spikes, which goes for around US$80. And they need to get those spikes in time so that they get used to them before the Games start. It will be embarrassing as hosts not to have a fully kitted team.

“The issue being that we are Zimbabweans and because we are Zimbabweans we need to show the world who we are, we don’t want to send the wrong message out there.

“The Government has been coming in handy to assist. We have a total budget of US$750 000 but what I am saying is the budget obviously is not enough. If we want to reasonably kit the team and make sure it is well catered for, we are looking at a budget of US$1,2million,” said Nheweyembwa.

The Team Zimbabwe spokesperson urged various stakeholders to come on board and assist the team to successfully participate in the Games.

“These are the second major Games Zimbabwe is hosting after the All-Africa Games in 1995. It’s not everyday that we have these Games, so it’s nicer for the corporate world to be assisting the team because it will go down in history.

“We always say the future of this country is in the hands of the young people and we can’t say the future is the hands of young people if we are not supporting them,” said Nheweyembwa.

The 11 countries expected to compete are Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Seychelles, Swaziland, Zambia and the hosts Zimbabwe.