Lovemore Zigara Midlands Sports Correspondent
FINANCIAL constraints have once again rocked Midlands’ preparations for the Zimbabwe National Paralympic Games to be hosted by Harare next month. The eighth edition of the Games will be held in the capital from April 7 to 11.

Midlands needs about $75,000 to participate in this year’s Games and with two weeks to go the province has only managed to raise $5,000.

A total of 154 athletes and officials are expected to represent the province at this year’s Games.

Last year, Midlands sent 23 athletes to the Games after failing to secure enough funding for the annual sporting jamboree.

The provincial general manager Cephas Mutumhe, said the situation had been compounded by the separation of the old Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture into two stand alone ministries.

In 2013, President Mugabe set up the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education and the Ministry of Sport, Arts and Culture, a situation Mutumhe said had dire financial consequences as the Games relied heavily on support from schools.

“As a province we have sent a begging bowl to corporates in the province to support the Games because as it stands we’ve only managed to secure $5,000 of the $75,000 needed for the Paralympics to be held in Harare.

“The challenge is that since the separation of the Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture we’ve been incapacitated financially since we relied more on schools for our fundraising activities. As it stands the Ministry of Sport, Arts and Culture doesn’t have a budget for the Games. We’re therefore trying to engage the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education through schools to help us since they’re now not obliged to give a hand,” he said.

Mutumhe said the athletes will camp at Chaplin High School on April 1 to prepare for the Games before leaving for Harare on April 7.

Disciplines to be competed in include wheelchair tennis, wheelchair basketball, goal ball and athletics among others.

The Midlands which at one time boasted of former world Paralympics champion, Elliot Mujaji has been one of the powerhouses of the Games.

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