Chakwera launches Region 5 Youth Games

Amid electrifying sights and sounds, President Lazarus Chakwera last evening launched the 10th edition of the Africa Union Sports Council (Ausc) Region 5 Youth Games at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe.

Thousands braved the rains to witness the glittering opening ceremony which was also graced by President of Mozambique Filipe Nyusi.

The evening started with a flyover of military planes displaying the AU and Malawi flag as well as the official mascot, Chambo.

The event was also spiced up with traditional dances, exhibiting rich Malawi cultural diversity and an energetic performance by urban music artist Eli Njuchi.

After which there was the unveiling ceremony of the athletes and officials from all the 10 participating countries.

The countries, namely Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, e-Swatini, South Africa, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe and hosts Malawi are competing in 12 sporting codes.

In his speech, Chakwera said he had been looking forward to the event for months.

Appearing jovial, he said: “I have been looking forward to see all of us as African brothers and sisters reunited as one family, to watch our people display to the world their creative and athletic abilities.

“I have been looking forward to see our youth demonstrate Africa’s capacity for endurance, resilience, fair play, and victory. And I have definitely been looking forward to enjoy every game in every discipline.”

Chakwera said sport is more than playing games as it strengthenes our minds to achieve great feats and said Malawi is, therefore, honoured to host the Games.

Said the President: “Our economy may be small, but we are a generous people. Our problems may be many, but our hospitality is heartfelt.

“That is why we have made sure to allocate adequate resources for preparations and hosting of the Games, including the successful construction of sports facilities of international standard, chief of which are the Griffin Saenda Indoor Sports Complex and the National Aquatic Complex.”

He further said when he embarked on the projects, he was criticised by some quarters who felt investing in sports and young people is a waste of time.

“But to me, there is no investment in young people that is a waste of time. That is why I directed my Minister of Youth and Sports, Honourable Richard Chimwendo Banda, to ignore the noise and focus on serving the young people of our country and the young people of our region who have gathered here today, and I want to thank him for staying the course,” said Chakwera.

On his part, Nyusi, whose country will host the next Games, thanked Malawi for accepting to host the 10th edition despite the difficult economic conditions.

“He said: “I wish to commend my brother Chakwera for organising this splendid event which has brought youths from all over Africa together to compete in various sports disciplines.

The fact that despite the economic hurdles you have managed to organise such a splendid event shows your commitment to developing sports. Sports is one of the sectors where the African continent has shown excellence. The evidence is that we can see African countries doing well at the World Cup.”

On his part, Chimwendo Banda saidthere were challenges along the way.

He said: “I must admit that it has been a tough journey. We had to cross many red seas.

“There were so many hurdles but we managed to sail through and today here we are. Work has been completed at the 5 000–seater Griffin Saenda Indoor Sports complex and the 3 000-seater aquatic centre. Not only that but overall our sports infrastructure has been upgraded.”

The minister also thanked NBS Bank plc, Press Trust and TNM plc for supporting the cause

Ausc chief executive officer Stanley Mutoya had words of praise for the country’s leadership for meeting expectations.

He said: “We must applaud Malawi for putting together such an amazing project in such a short time. The road was bumpy and windy and, at some point, there were doubts as to the completion of this project.

But here we are today. Malawi has lived up to the Ausc expectations. The Games will leave a lasting sporting legacy in Malawi. Not only that but Malawi has an opportunity to showcase its rich cultural history to the world.”

As we went to press, Malawi Under-17 national football team was taking on Botswana in their opening match.