A frican Union Sports Council (Ausc) Region 5 delegation which was in the country to assess Malawi’s readiness to host the 2022 African Youth Games has expressed satisfaction with the strides made in preparation for the event.

The Ausc has since announced that they will officially launch the Games on June 30 to garner national attention and market the event slated for December 2022.

Ausc Region 5 chief executive officer Stanley Mutoya announced the good news during a press conference in Lilongwe yesterday.

Mutoya: We are satisfied with the progress

He said: “Malawi is very positive and determined.  What we have observed is consistency on the part of the government towards the promises it made and we are very happy that is happening.

“All is not in place at the moment and we didn’t expect all to be in place because it’s about phases. But we are happy with the steps being taken.

“We are addressing fundamentals like venues, places where  athletes and officials will stay and their safety. We are happy that those fundamentals have been guaranteed.”

Mutoya said his delegation was also impressed with operational services like catering, transportation system and medical facilities.

He said the delegation has settled for Nalikule Teachers College and Natural Resources College as home villages, Bingu National Stadium for athletes and football, Civo Stadium for football and basketball, Silver Strikers for football and Bingu International Convention Centre for gymanastic, boxing and tennis.

“Nalikule and Natural Resources College are ideal, we just need to work on the cold rooms and chillers. We are also impressed with construction work at the Aquatic Centre and Griffin Saenda Indoor Sports Complex.

“From what we have seen, we have confidence that by September or October, the two facilities will be operational.”

Local Organising Committee  chairperson Dennis Mombera also said he was happy with the progress.

“We are grateful to government for the financial support and also commitment to ensure everything is working. We also thank Ausc secretariat for the guidelines, expertise and support. We are committed to ensure the games are a success,” he said.

Ausc Region 5 comprises  Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, e-Swatini, Zimbabwe,  Mozambique and Zambia.

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