Together as one with partners
O NFriday, our dynamic team was at the Prince of Wales Sports Ground after collaborating with our partners, the Ministry of Health for a wellness programme for their staff.
The aerobics session and fun games including the tug of war and big foot was well received by the enthusiastic participants. It was unfortunate that the bad weather had to spoil the fun, as our people were sweating it out. It’s what we do. More and more of the populace is realising each day how important it is to live healthy lives.
The human body, as we all know was designed to move. It is, therefore, vital to keep it well conditioned for it to function at its element and of course for it to live longer and resist different ailments.
With or without our team, we expect people to eat healthily, train regularly and basically strive to stick to the right kind of life. With the government spending little on medical bills, because that is what will happen with a fit people, the economy will thrive.
Back to today’s subject. Our strategic partners, the Eswatini Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association (EOCGA) finally announced the team to represent the kingdom in the African Union Sports Council Region V Games, which are scheduled for Blantyre in Malawi, next month.
Due to the lack of resources, the country will be taking the smallest number of athletes to the games in their history. Only 11 athletes will be hoisting the flag in Malawi. This is no excuse, however, for team Eswatini to come back home with no medals.
The team, which was announced by EOCGA CEO Maxwell Jele alongside his counterpart from the ESRC, Darius Dlomo, can stun the region. We have faith in them. Many could be wondering why after the country did so well in the games last year, could still send such a small team. As stated earlier, this has a lot to do with the resources at our disposal and of course, the fact that we had to send athletes with brighter chances of bringing back home medals.
Time is already against the team. They will have to work extra hard to be ready for the games that start as early as next month. This will call for a lot of sacrifices, discipline and consistency. We expect the coaches entrusted with guiding our athletes to pull a rabbit out of a hat and make sure our children are ready to compete at the regional stage. It won’t be easy. It is never easy in these games. All the best to Team Eswatini!
Taekwondo artist, Saneliso Masuku, who was hoping to hoist the country’s flag in the World Championships, which were staged in Mexico, has unfortunately found the going tough. Not that we expected it to be any easier, but we didn’t quite anticipate the fact that he could be handed a tricky tie from the onset. Masuku had left the country last weekend for the Championships, accompanied by Eswatini Taekwondo Federation Secretary, Sizwe Mabuza.
He was battling it out in the 68kg category. However, as fate would have it, our man was pitted against an opponent from Colombia. This is one of the most developed countries in the sport, compared to us. It is not an excuse but our fighter was obviously pitted against much more experienced opposition.
The World Championships were obviously his toughest test. He didn’t do well but that does not mean it is the end of the road for him, no. On the contrary, it could mark the beginnings of great things to come. As long as Masuku takes the positives from the humbling defeat, he can just like the proverbial phoenix, rise from the ashes.
OUR CONTACTS;
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) dlomo@sportscouncil. org.sz - 24041590
Senior Marketing Officer – Dumisani Ntiwane ntiwane@sportscouncil.org.sz - 7669 1992/7969 1992 Marketing Officer – Siphesihle Dacunha siphesihle@ sportscouncil.org.sz - 7644 8422/7936 3545 Marketing Officer – Philisiwe Mhlanga phili@ sportscouncil.org.sz 7696 6779/7964 8650