The Sunday News
Sibhekisipho Fayayo and Ngqwele Dube Sports Reporters
THE curtain finally comes down on the African Union Region Sports Council Region Five Games today with host country Zimbabwe despite putting up a good show especially in athletics being eclipsed by regional powerhouse South Africa on the medals table.
It has been an entertaining 10 day of sporting fiesta going into today’s home run of events. South Africa look to seal their dominance in the region as they lead the medals table with at least 30 gold medals more than second placed Zimbabwe’s tally. But Mzansi could have increased the medals haul following the swimming events last night.
While everyone is in agreement that Team Zimbabwe performed brilliantly there is still a huge gap with their southern neighbours hence there is still a lot of ground to cover and lots of work to be done to bridge that rift.
In athletics and boxing Zimbabwe and South Africa went neck and neck for gold, but it is in Swimming Judo and Tennis that Zimbabwe were put to the sword, if not annihilated.
However, Zimbabwe put a strong finish in athletics raking in 13 gold, 20 silver and 17 bronze while South Africa had 14 gold, 11 silver and seven bronze.
Games competition director, Titus Madzingo attributed the good showing by Zimbabwe to the intensive training courses that the country’s coaches have gone through in recent years.
He said a lot of coaches have attained the International Association of Athletics Federations Level Three and Four which they attained at the esteemed IAAF centre in Kenya.
“We did pretty well in athletics and I think this goes back to our plan of sending coaches to attain Level Three and Four certificates, which means they are more qualified now.
“The courses at the IAAF centre are comprehensive hence the remarkable difference,” he said.
Madzingo said the renovations at White City are likely to see Zimbabwe up their game in athletics as the timing system is the best in Africa and the tartan track was of international standard.
With the end of day four in swimming pool South Africa had collected 15 gold medals, eight silver medals and four bronze as compared to Zimbabwe’s four silver medals and two bronze medals.
In judo South Africa collected eight gold medals two silver and four bronze medals while Zimbabwe only had only one gold medal five silver and one bronze.
In tennis South Africa had already collected five gold as compared to Zimbabwe’s three, with three silver medals and no bronze while Zimbabwe had four silver and two bronze.
Team Zimbabwe’s Chief De Misson Sebastian Garikai said the team managed to achieve its target of getting 40 medals but added that there was need to come up with sports development programmes if the country was to match South Africa’s standards.
“We need to go back to the drawing board and see where we went wrong. I also feel there is need to do sports development programmes that will act as feeder into these kind of games.
“Zimbabwe is an internationally acclaimed sporting nation because of these Games hence we need to spruce up sporting developmental programmes so that we can go a gear up from this level and be at par with South Africa.
“You could see that in most of the disciplines that South Africans were dominant is because their athletes have been exposed to international competitions because of their healthy developmental programmes, a thing we need to seriously consider.
“These development programmes should start early next year so that when the next youth Games come we are found in good shape ready to topple South Africa,” said Garikai.
He also commended the athletes as well as the residents of Bulawayo for coming out to support their nation.
“Team Zimbabwe gave it their all and gave a good account of themselves.
“I would also like to thank Bulawayo and the support we got, they were so amazing and fantastic some of the medals we got we could not have achieved them without the proverbial thirteenth men and with that I salute them,” he said.
