Story by Mthokozisi Dube
PREPARATIONS for this year’s National Youth Games are gathering momentum across the country, with Bulawayo Province emerging as one of the leading contenders in readiness for the sporting showcase scheduled for Marondera in August.
The Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) has embarked on a nationwide familiarisation tour to assess the preparedness of provinces ahead of the National Youth Games, a key platform for talent identification and athlete development in Zimbabwe.
The tour brought SRC Director-General Allen Mavunga to Bulawayo, where he praised the province for the progress made in preparations for the national event.
Bulawayo has already established a Local Organising Committee and is in the final stages of completing affiliation processes, positioning the province among the frontrunners ahead of the games.
“We are in Bulawayo, trying to understand how our provinces are preparing ahead of the Youth Games. We want to see how we can come in and assist them, but we are happy to note that Bulawayo is way ahead, seeing that they have a Local Organising Committee in place. These tours will help us as we move to craft our strategy for National Development Strategy Two and also give us an opportunity to meet our coordinators and see how we can capacitate them in their execution of duty,” he said.
Mavunga noted that the nationwide assessment exercise is not only focused on monitoring preparations for the games but also on ensuring that sport continues to contribute meaningfully towards national development objectives under the National Development Strategy Two (NDS2) and Vision 2030.
The National Youth Games remain one of Zimbabwe’s premier grassroots sporting events, providing young athletes from the country’s ten provinces with an opportunity to compete, develop their skills and potentially earn selection into national teams.
The annual competition continues to play a critical role in identifying future sporting stars while promoting youth participation and development through sport across the country.
