VP Mujuru to attend Games launch

27 Jul, 2014 - 04:07 0 Views
VP Mujuru to attend Games launch

The Sunday News

mujuru

VP Mujuru

VICE-President Joice Mujuru is set to grace the launch of the 2014 Africa Union Sports Council Region Five Under-20 Youth Games at a Bulawayo hotel on Saturday.
The launch of the Games will be the start of various activities leading to the start of the sporting event in December.
The principal director in the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, Paul Damasane, told a meeting attended by local businesspeople on Friday evening that Vice-President Mujuru will be the keynote speaker during the launch.

The meeting saw the Local Organising Committee engage local businesses to ensure they benefit from the hosting of the games and also support the sporting event.

At the meeting, LOC board member marketing Kennedy Ndebele presented the business people with various options they have in sponsoring the games, with companies expected to benefit from branding and advertising.

Local suppliers and corporates have the option of pouring in $50 000 or $120 000 respectively in return for banners and adverts at sporting venues, games village, on vehicles, websites and on the games programme among other choices.

Ndebele said they expect the game to be broadcast on television giving the sponsors more mileage as their advertised products will reach more people.

Over 2 000 athletes and technical officials from 15 countries are expected to grace the event that will take place from 4 to 14 December.
Ndebele said they would be hosting various activities as they drum up support for the Games while creating hype around the event.

“People need to be aware that the Games are the second biggest sporting showcase to be held in Zimbabwe after the All Africa Games in 1995 and we need commercial partners in hosting the event.

“It presents opportunities for business people to market their products to wider audiences and we have already registered the LOC as a private limited company to ensure we can engage in agreements with other entities,” he said.

Region Five member states that will take part in the games include the host country, Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland and Zambia. Invited countries that will also participate at the games are the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Madagascar, Mauritius and Seychelles.

Ndebele said some of the events that will be held leading to the start of the games include a flag raising ceremony, a clean-up exercise throughout the whole city, unveiling of the official mascot, volunteer call, culture night, road shows and a flame burning event.

He said they are engaging universities and schools to ensure young people are involved in the games and they have distributed a mascot concept to schools, with students expected to come up with the final mascot.

There are prizes lined up for the student whose name and mascot will be chosen by the LOC.
Speaking at the event, Damasane said local business people should actively engage the LOC to ensure they benefit from the tenders that will be advertised in the run up to the Games.

Business people attending the meeting had expressed concern over being left out in the allocation of tenders in the renovation of stadiums that will be used during the games.

LOC chairperson, Khonzani Ncube said business people should approach their offices to find out the procedures to be used in allocating tenders.

She said there will be a lot of opportunities for local businesses but it was also crucial for companies to fund the hosting of the Games.
Formerly known as the Zone Six Games, the competition was inaugurated in 2004 in Mozambique following a Council of Ministers of the Supreme Council for Sports in Africa (SCSA) Zone Six meeting held in 1997 in Cabinda, Angola. On 7 September 1999 during a special meeting of the Zone Six Supreme Council for Sport in Africa in Johannesburg, it was agreed that the Games be held bi–annually on a compulsory and rotational basis by the member states.

The Games have since been organised and hosted by Mozambique 2004, Namibia 2006, South Africa 2008, Swaziland 2010 and Zambia played host to the fifth edition in 2012.

The aim of the event is to use sports to achieve peace, integration and unity in Africa and sport as a vehicle for encouraging people to develop and come together irrespective of colour, economic status, political inclination, class or gender.

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