Team Zim eye top three at Regions 5 Games
TEAM Zimbabwe are leaving nothing to chance in their quest to clip a top three finish at the African Union Sports Council Region 5 Games.
The 13- sport discipline jamboree officially begins on Friday and runs up to December 11 here but codes like taekwondo are scheduled to kick- off today.
Zimbabwe will field participants in 12 disciplines minus football as the country is currently suspended from the international football family by FIFA.
And the Director of Sport and Recreation in the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation, Eugenia Chidhakwa, yesterday said Team Zimbabwe have the capacity to win as many as 50 out of the available 130 gold medals at this meet.
She was briefing Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to Malawi, Nancy Saungweme, after paying a courtesy call to the Embassy together with her delegation led by Chef de Mission, Masimba Mutemaringa.
Chidhakwa reassured Saungweme that Team Zimbabwe was in good stead to clinch medals which will leave them among the top-three performers from the 10 participating countries.
“I would like to assure you that Team Zimbabwe has had a fruitful camp, thanks to total commitment from the Government and other stakeholders.
“We have had training and education on issues to do with anti- doping, safe sport and drug abuse.
“We can confidently tell you that we are not here (in Malawi) for a holiday and we are aiming for a top- three finish,” said Chidhakwa.
“We are going to give it our all with the technical officials also reassuring us that they have done everything to ensure the athletes are technically and tactically ready to compete.
“We are aiming to win at least 50 gold medals and that will allow us to challenge for a place in the top- three of the Games.
“We have done everything to enable our athletes to be in their best possible competitive shape.
“The African Union Sports Council Region 5 Games are very critical and they will show us where exactly we stand as a country in terms of competitiveness at this level.”
Ambassador Saungweme threw her full weight behind Team Zimbabwe.
“I am humbled by this gesture, first of all. I am very happy Zimbabwe will field so many athletes in these Games and that will give us a huge chance of winning medals,” she said.
“I hope that you will go back home with something for the efforts.
“We are impressed with this level of determination which you have shown and I am ready to support the vision.
“You look at 205 athletes, that’s a big number and I should applaud the authorities for the massive effort.
“I am going to be in the forefront to give you what you need to help the team stay focused.”
Taekwondo fighters will kick- off the menu for Zimbabwe with coach Thuto Moyo’s charges expected to do well, starting today.
Zimbabwe will field athletes in taekwondo, judo, swimming, gymnastics, boxing, athletics, athletics VI, netball, basketball, volleyball, tennis and eSports.
Meanwhile, the two Zimbabwean athletes and three officials who returned positive tests for Covid- 19 in an antigen screening yesterday will today undergo a PCR test to confirm their status.