Chief executive officer of the African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5, Stanley Mutoya, has declared that Namibia is more than prepared to host the prestigious regional youth games.
He made these remarks during a press conference on Tuesday in the capital, where the Local Organising Committee (LOC) concluded a seven-day meeting with delegates and team managers from all 10 participating nations in this year’s edition of the youth games.
Namibia is set to host the 11th edition of the AUSC youth games in Windhoek and Swakopmund from 4 to 13July. The games were initially scheduled to be held in Mozambique, but after their withdrawal, Namibia stepped in as the replacement host nation.
This will be the second time Namibia hosts this important event, having previously staged the competition in 2006. A total of 12 sports codes are expected to be showcased throughout the tournament. A record 2 229 athletes and officials are expected at this event, all vying for honours.
Speaking at the news conference earlier this week, Mutoya provided feedback to relevant stakeholders, and said after months of careful planning, he can confidently affirm to the nation and the SADC region that Namibia is ready to host the games.
“When we were here a couple of months ago, I said we would judge the hosting of games in three phases. We always had four phases, but with the limited time, we had to look at three phases,”
“The three phases were: does Namibia have the capacity? Number two, can Namibia provide safe and secure games? And three, can Namibia host memorable games? And at that time, I mentioned that several factors will be looked at to host the games. One of them was, does Namibia have a games village for the youth? Does it have facilities and other logistics? Indeed, we have ticked all the boxes and can assure that they are able to host,” he said.
Speaking at the same event, LOC chairperson Ndeulipula Hamutumwa echoed Mutoya’s sentiments, saying they are ready to stage the games for the second time and are prepared to deliver as expected.
“The visit of the Chefs de Mission was invaluable. Following productive site visits and the commitments we secured for necessary upgrades; I am pleased to confirm the competition venues. We are delighted to announce the confirmed locations for the games villages in both Windhoek and Swakopmund, ensuring optimal comfort and convenience for all participating delegations,” he said.
On the readiness and overall take, Sebastian Garikai, Chief de Mission from Zimbabwe, expressed satisfaction with how Namibia is raring to host the games. He said he is only waiting to compete.
“We have been taken to all the venues in Windhoek and Swakopmund, and I can say I am happy with what I saw. We were taken to the Showgrounds, and the netball courts there are top class, and the tennis courts in Swakopmund were mind-blowing,” he said.
-mkambukwe@nepc.com.na