GOVT INJECTS E450K TOWARDS PARIS 2024 DREAM

EZULWINI – Government has supported team Eswatini with E450 000 as they prepare to depart to Paris, France, for the Olympic Games.

This was revealed by the Minister of Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs, Bongani Nzima, during the squad’s send-off yesterday.  This money is expected to assist the seven-member squad, among other things with travelling costs. The team is expected to depart next week and arrive in France a day before the games begin. Three athletes will represent the country in this showpiece that begins on July 26 and runs until August 11. These athletes are sprinter Sibusiso ‘Swazi Bolt’ Matsenjwa, swimmers Hayley Hoy and Chadd Ning.

“It is my hope that Eswatini’s stars at the Olympics and/or the Brisbane Olympics in 2032 will be discovered during the course of this tournament. I am pleased to announce that government, through the Eswatini Sport and Recreation Council (ESRC), has contributed E450 000 towards the team’s participation at the games,” the minister said.

Challenged

The minister further challenged the athletes to compete strongly in Paris. He recapped ‘Swazi Bolt’s’ Tokyo 2021 Olympics Games record, stating that the athletes are more than capable of excelling. “While it is disappointing that none of you as our athletes achieved outright qualification to the games, this does not stop any of you from making history in Paris. Many of you will remember that Sibusiso had qualified via a universality slot at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago and still went on to make history, qualifying for the semi-finals of the men’s 200m and in the process, breaking a national record,” Nzima said.Hayley will be the first to participate in the competition. She will take to the pool on July 27.

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