Sports Commission to unveil sponsors
THE Sports Commission will today unveil the sponsorship they got from various stakeholders for the Zimbabwe National Paralympic Games at their offices at the National Sports Stadium.
Mashonaland Central are this year’s hosts of the Games running from tomorrow, which is the arrival date, until Monday at various venues in Bindura.
Sports Commission’s corporate communications officer, Tirivashe Nheweyembwa, said different stakeholders have come on board to support the annual event.
“All provinces are now raring to go in terms of submissions of their team entries. Of course the numbers of athletes per province vary but we are happy about it.
“The second thing is that Mashonaland Central are now in a position to host the event.
“Yes, there has been some challenges in terms of resources but we have done our best at national level. Tomorrow (today) we will be unveiling the sponsorship we got from various stakeholders,” said Nheweyembwa.
Participants will take part in athletics for the visually impaired, athletics for the intellectually challenged and athletics for the amputees, football for the deaf and five-a-side for the intellectually challenged, goal ball, netball for the deaf as well as wheelchair basketball and tennis. Chipadze High School, Hermann Gmeiner, Mazowe Boys and Chindunduma School will host the different sporting disciplines. Nheweyembwa said they will also take the opportunity to have belated celebrations for the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, which is celebrated today.
“The 7th of April is the arrival day and on the 8th of April we start with an Opening Games Parade where we will be addressed by the Minister of State for Mashonaland Central.
“Tomorrow (today) is the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, it’s celebrated on the 6th of April but we will do it on the 8th of April during the Games. We have requested the Ministry of Sport to address us.
“This day was promulgated by the United Nations four years ago after noting the key role sport plays in development, peace building, uniting communities, healing war-torn countries such as Somalia and even Rwanda where the former child soldiers are now ambassadors of sport for development.
“This realisation was out of the UN Inter-Agency Taskforce on Sport Development and Peace of 2006,” said Nheweyembwa.
The National Paralympic Games, incepted in 2008 in Bulawayo, are the brainchild of the Government to promote the rights of people living with disabilities through participation in sport and recreational activities of their choice. They are hosted on a rotational basis.