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Ellina Mhlanga Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE Karate Union semi-contact technical director Paul Danisa has expressed confidence in the athletes expected to represent the nation at the forthcoming second Africa Youth Games to be held in Gaborone, Botswana, later this month.
The nine-day event is scheduled to run from May 22 to 31 with athletes from across the continent taking part in 20 sport codes, including karate, and Zimbabwe will field three fighters – Naomi Mandengenda, Elizabeth Banda and Innocent Ntini.

Banda and Ntini will compete in kumite while Mandengenda is expected to take part in both kumite and kata events.
Danisa said preparations for the Games are underway with the athletes training under the guidance of Winston Nyanhete and Victor Bhunu who will accompany the team to Botswana.

“We’ve got three athletes going to the Africa Youth Games and preparations are ongoing. We are training every Friday and Saturday at Old Hararians. They are training as a whole team with the others that are going to the Zone Six Games in Zambia. I think we will do well because these are top athletes. Naomi did not take part last year because she was writing her exams but she is our medallist, she won the 2012 Zone Six and she is back now. So we have high hopes,” said Danisa.

Danisa said their participation at the Games means a lot to them as the national association and believes the young athletes have the experience needed for such an event as the Africa Youth Games.

“We are taking a team with exposure and experience at that international level that’s why we are expecting good results.
“It means a lot, if you look at it we have the Zone Six coming and this is the right platform to have these kids exposed. They will know how the competition is at this level. We also have the All-Africa Games next year and some of them will be part of that team except for Innocent and Elizabeth, they are a bit young,” Danisa said.

This is the first time the karate team will be competing in these Games which were introduced in 2010 and held in Rabat, Morocco, with over 1 000 athletes from 41 countries participating in 16 sport codes.

However, this year the Games will see an increased participation with 2 500 athletes expected to compete in 20 sport disciplines.
The Games will serve as a preparation platform for the second Summer Youth Olympic Games set for Nanjing, China, from August 16 to 28.