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Sikhumbuzo Moyo in Hwange
HWANGE District will represent Matabeleland North Province at this year’s Youth Education through Sport (YES) Games in December after the other six districts failed to turn up for the selection event at the Lwendulu Old grounds in Hwange yesterday.

Only four schools, Nechilibi, Hwange High, St Ignatious and Lwendulu Primary Schools turned up for the provincial qualifiers, sending netball teams.

“We have no option but to deal with what we have. Districts failed to send their teams despite having been told in time and I think it’s largely due to resources,” said the Zimbabwe Netball Association technical director for Matabeleland North province Joyce Maboka.

She said resource incapacitation has dealt them a huge blow as they wanted to build a strong team.

“From the teams that came here today we will come up with 20 players who will then undergo thorough preparatory sessions under our coaches,” said Maboka.

Former Hwange netball club players Scholastica Phiri and Merjury Maphosa were appointed coaches.

YES Games which started in 1999 are meant to impart life skills to the youthful athletes using sport as a platform.

The YES programme is anchored on three components, namely sport, peer education and community service.

The three components have an equal weighting in the competitions.

The programme covers the country’s 10 provinces and in implementing the project the Sports and Recreation Commission has enlisted the services of technical and funding partners who include the Norwegian Olympic and Paralympics Committee and Confederation of Sport (NIF), Unicef Zimbabwe, National Aids Council, Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council, Child Line Zimbabwe, Forestry Commission and Plan International.

Another important component of the YES Games is the tree-planting as the national finals are always on the first week of every December, which is also the weekend of  National Tree Planting Day.