Strong squads for 4 AE major events

MBABANE – Athletics Eswatini (AE) has announced strong-looking squads for four major international athletics competitions scheduled for July and August 2025.

The events include the African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region V Under-20 Youth Games that get underway in Namibia this week. AE President Zakhele Dlamini has shared that these events offer crucial development and exposure for the country’s athletes across youth, junior and senior levels on top of providing an opportunity for the runners to test their resolve against other top international competitors.

 “A strong team of 10 athletes will represent Eswatini at the AUSC Region V Under-20 Games, a multi-sport event bringing together the best Under-20 athletes from the southern African Region,” he shared.

Sprinters Amahle Magongo and Bandzile Simelane headline the Region V squad.

Eswatini will further be represented by four talented junior athletes at the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) Under-18/Under-20 African Championships in Nigeria from July 16 until four days later.

Another lined up major event is the inaugural African Schools Sports Games to be staged in Algeria in the period July 26 –August 5, 2025.

As per the correspondence, a strong senior team parading the likes of Thandaza Zwane, Mcebo Mkhaliphi and Bongiwe Mahlalela will compete at the Senior Regional Championships in Harare, Zimbabwe. The team includes top sprinters, middle/long distance runners and jumpers, many of whom are medalists from the AE 2025 Senior National Championships. The regional showpiece takes centre stage from July 26 until the following day.

“These four major competitions reflect Athletics Eswatini’s commitment to developing athletes across all levels, offering them international exposure, competitive experience and the opportunity to elevate the nation’s presence in regional and continental athletics.

 “We extend our sincere appreciation to Eswatini Sports and Recreation Council (ESRC) and Eswatini Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association (EOCGA), for their continuous belief in our athletes and the growth of athletics in the kingdom.

“Without these organisations’ support, our athletes would not have made it to these competitions. We further send our gratitude to the clubs, coaches and parents for supporting our athletes in all their sporting endeavours and we say ‘Together For Gold’,” said Dlamini.