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Fungayi Munyoro Mutare Correspondent
MINORITY sporting disciplines that were introduced this year at the 2017 National Youth Games must be roped into the school system if participants at the annual sporting extravaganza are to perform better, Team Manicaland general manager Masimba Chihowa has said.

The 2017 edition of the National Youth Games ended in Hwange and Chihowa said there is need to introduce in schools some minority sporting disciplines that were part of the Youth Games this year.

“In karate, we still have a lot to do as a province. It is a game that has individual medals. Boxing again, we have to consider it seriously as a province. If we do not consider that, it will continue to affect us in the near future. “We have to make sure the game is explained well to the people and have it introduced to the schools.

“We were not fully prepared in games such as pool. We struggled since we do not have the sport in schools. “We will sit down and do our homework and encourage all the schools with facilities to help us.

“We will introduce all the five new disciplines in our schools. Some of them are not very difficult to introduce like darts, it is just a matter of buying the darts board and having players play,” he said.

The Manicaland Youth Games general manager feels Team Manicaland could have done better at the just-ended National Youth Games if the schools and community teams were united. Team Manicaland came fourth in the Under-18 category.

The province amassed nine gold, 15 silver and 12 bronze medals from a total of 36 medals. Bulawayo came first with 33 gold, 36 silver and 22 bronze medals. Harare had 20 gold medals, 12 silver and nine bronze medals.

Midlands had 13 gold and three silver medals. In the Under-23 category, Manicaland got one gold medal and a silver medal. They were on number 10 out of 13 teams that took part.

“We did well considering that some of the areas were only introduced this year. We did well in athletics though we had problems in swimming, where we took few participants.

“Overall, there were 40 gold medals and Bulawayo took 24.’’ Chihowa said the school and community system must work together for the betterment of the province.

“The community and school teams must work together. There must be coordination between schools and community clubs. It cost us greatly. There was no unity as the community and schools were not working as one.

“We have to go there as a unit next time,” he said.