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Sikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
THE Sport and Recreation Commission has set a minimum budget of $500,000 to take care of Team Zimbabwe at the 11th edition of the African Games in Congo-Brazzaville in September this year.The Games are returning to their inaugural hosts of 1965. They will also be celebrating their Golden Jubilee and have since been christened African Games instead of the All-Africa Games.

The Zimbabwe supreme sports body’s spokesperson, Tirivashe Nheweyembwa said the commission will soon forward its budgetary requirements to the government through the Ministry of Sport, Arts and Culture. “We are busy trying to put together a funding mechanism for our Team Zimbabwe and this is being done through the management committee of the Games led by sports development director, Joseph Muchechetere who is the Zimbabwe Chef de Mission to the Games,” said Nheweyembwa.

He also revealed that all the countries have been instructed to submit their team lists by end of this month while by June, half of the affiliation fees must have been paid.

“Our Chef de Mission was in Brazzaville from February 24-26 for the first Chef de Missions’ meeting where countries were told to submit their team lists while the hosts said they were ready to play host to Africa and will soon be handing over their sports facilities to the organising committee,” said Nheweyembwa.

Zimbabwe will be hoping to do better than their 11th place finish in the last edition of the Games in Mozambique where they bagged two bronze, seven silver and six gold medals.

Zimbabwean athletes participated in athletics, badminton, basketball, boxing, chess, cycling, judo, karate, netball, sailing, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, and triathlon. The team also included 12 athletes in sport for people with disabilities.

Since its inaugural participation at the Games in 1987, Zimbabwe has collected a total of 24 gold, 33 silver and 59 bronze medals.

“In our last edition we came 11th and that is not good enough so this time around we want to be very strict in our selection, associations will be summoned to come before the technical team and explain why they think their athletes or team should go to the Games.  We are not going to be taking everyone,” said Nheweyembwa.

Already the men and women’s handball teams have pulled out of the Games after failing to secure funds for the qualifiers which will be held in Zambia next week.