MBABANE – Team Eswatini, comprising over 100 athletes, will travel to Namibia in staggered groups for the 2025 African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region V Youth Games.
Chef de Mission (CDM) for the Eswatini squad Victor ‘Mavikane’ Dlamini confirmed the staggered departure plan for the games, which are set to take place in Windhoek and Swakopmund, Namibia, from July 4-13, 2025.
Namibia stepped in as the host nation after Mozambique’s withdrawal, marking the second time the country has hosted this event, having previously done so in 2006.
ambitious
The Eswatini Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association (EOCGA) recently announced a significant investment of over E2 million into the squad, with the ambitious goal of securing podium finishes across various disciplines.
Dlamini, a teacher at KaSchiele High School in Mbabane, revealed that the first contingent to depart will be the national boys’ and girls’ football teams, accompanied by officials from the Eswatini Swimming Association (ESA).
This early departure is necessary as the ball games are scheduled to kick off on July 3, 2025.
“The swimmers will fly to Namibia, thanks to their parents’ support, while the officials will travel by road,” Dlamini clarified.
The second group, consisting of athletes from athletics, judo and netball, is slated to leave Eswatini on July 2, 2025. Their departure will follow an official send-off by the Minister for Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs, Bongani Nzima, at the OlympAfrica Centre in Lobamba.
dedication
Dlamini expressed his appreciation for the dedication shown by the various associations: “We genuinely appreciate the commitment shown by the associations in terms of preparations, not forgetting the Special Olympics, who are also busy with their preparations.
“We are hoping for nothing less than podium finishes from all our federations.”
Notably, this edition of the Regional Youth Games will, for the first time, include Special Olympics events.
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