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FORMER South African President Nelson Mandela once quoted: “Youths of today are the leaders of tomorrow.”

This is a saying that can live in perpetuity and remains true for as long as there are still humans inhabiting this lovely mother earth.

One generation always owes it to the next. So we should all strive to make it better for those coming after us.

As Mandela stated, the youth are the future; they are the generation that will move forward; today’s youths are the force, hope and leaders of tomorrow.

It gives great hope and satisfaction to know that Zimbabwe is among 10 countries that are involved in the African Union Sports Council Region 5 Games in Lilongwe, Malawi.

Over 2 000 participants drawn from the regional countries are participating in the 2022 edition of the Region 5 Youth Games.

Zimbabwe have fielded 205 athletes in 11 sporting disciplines, namely Athletics, Basketball, Boxing, E-Sports, Gymnastics, Judo, Netball, Swimming, Taekwondo, Tennis and Volleyball.

By the end of day on Thursday, Zimbabwe had 44 medals.

Of course, many people will rush to talk about podium finishes and medals. Of course, as a nation we want that pride of winning medals which brings to the fore the issue of grassroots development.

The leadership in the region should be applauded for coming up with such a brilliant idea as the AUSC Region 5 Games, which are designed to give youngsters a platform to develop and perfect their skills.

The whole idea with the African Union Sports Council Region 5 Games is to provide a development platform for the kids in Africa in a competitive environment, afford them the opportunity to showcase themselves and a platform to further develop their skills.

We need our kids to perfect their skills in a competitive platform where they will build confidence to be able to contest in even bigger competitions like the Olympics. No child should be denied the opportunity if they exhibit talent.

As a nation, we need to present ourselves competitively at such Games. Grassroots development is always the way to go when it comes to talent identification and nurturing. 

The challenge goes back to the leaders of today to work hard and create an enabling environment for these future stars. They owe their success to us.

The leadership at NAPH and NASH, who get the earliest interactions with these future stars during their formative stages in primary and secondary schools should always have the long term vision.

Most, if not all, of the athletes currently representing Zimbabwe are still of school-going age. That makes these two orgnisations critical in the development of the future stars.

Schools must always be supported with the best facilities possible. NAPH and NASH should always have capacity building programs for the sports coaches and administrators in schools.

Let’s always make it clear that teachers should not just be assigned as coaches or officials when they are not qualified for that. If we do not give due diligence in developing the potential in our children, then we should forget about producing elite athletes who may win medals for the nation in the future.

There is a need to change the mindset: Schools sport is not a pastime. Schools and colleges should have a budget dedicated to sport. It is highly recommended for them to outsource high performance coaches or facilities if they do not have their own.

Then, the national associations and other bodies such as the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee and the Sports and Recreation Commission, which is loosely an arm of the Government, should see to the development of elite athletes in the nation.

Through the Podium Performance Programme, an initiative of the AUSC Region 5, Zimbabwe should always implement a developmental initiative in which the performance capacities of athletes and coaches in the excellence and elite tiers are honed towards higher standards that are linked to podium performances.

The Sports Commission collaborates with the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee, Zimbabwe National Paralympic Committee, National Associations and other delivery agents in co-ordinating high performance activities.

This collaboration was always evident when Zimbabwe were preparing their team for the AUSC Region 5 Games. But funding has always been a key factor.

The corporate world needs to support these initiatives more. 

Congratulations to all the athletes that have won medals thus far. But to those that failed to win, honestly this is not the end of the road.

Never give up and keep working hard.

The Games are just an opportunity to get the much-needed exposure in a competitive platform. More support is needed as well because the youth hold the key to future success.