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Sikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
ALL 10 countries that form the African Union Sports Council Region 5 managed to submit their 2016 Games team lists and are now working on their accreditation.

AUSC is divided into seven competition zones and Region 5 comprises Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

This year’s games will be held in Angola from December 5-18.

According to the tournament’s draft calendar, accreditation is pegged at $64 per athlete and $72 per official and payment deadline is next month.

However, countries can pay half of their accreditation next July and clear the remainder in September, which is also the deadline for final entry of athletes by name.

“To date all countries have been up to date in meeting timelines. Countries are currently working on their accreditation forms for their teams, which should be submitted during the July Chef De Missions meeting,” said AUSC Region 5 general manager Stanely Mutoya.

Zimbabwe is set to send 39 male and 35 female athletes that would be accompanied by 17 coaches, seven medical personnel and 11 members of the management team.

“So far the facilities are on course. Angola is not constructing any new facilities, as they are only sprucing up existing facilities,” said the Botswana-based official.

Athletes will compete in nine disciplines, athletics, basketball, boxing, football, judo, netball, tennis, swimming and gymnastics.

Venues for the sport codes have already been identified, with athletics set to be held at Estadio dos Coqueiros and basketball at Pavilhao da Cidadela, the same venue for boxing and judo.

Netball will be at Codem, tennis at the Club Tenis de Luanda, while Piscina de Alvalade will play host to swimming.

The AUSC Region 5 is the sports arm of the African Union and was formed in the 1960s. Its headquarters are in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

The main aim of the AUSC is to use sports to achieve peace, integration and unity in Africa by encouraging people to develop and come together, irrespective of colour, economic status, political, class or gender.