MBABANE- Eswatini is set to take three new sporting codes to the AUSC Region V Youth Games in December.
The African Union Sports Council (AUSC), a regional multi-sport event, will be staged in Maputo, Mozambique, with the exact dates of the competition yet to be released. However, Eswatini has tentatively confirmed that athletes from eight sporting codes will represent the country, three of which will be entering the African Union Sports Council Region 5 Youth Games for the first time, returning after a lengthy absence.
These codes are basketball, tennis and volleyball, while taekwondo will return after skipping last year’s edition. These developments are contained in the Eswatini Sport and Recreation Council’s performance report for the past three months under the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs (March to June report).
“The Kingdom of Eswatini through the Council has confirmed participation of youth athletes at the 2026 AUSC Region 5 Youth Games taking place in December 2026 in Maputo, Mozambique. The necessary accreditation and logistical preparations are underway,” the report states in brief.
The report further breaks down the number of athletes per sporting code, noting that 14 will travel for both basketball and volleyball, while five will represent tennis.
Taekwondo will see 20 travelling after a five-medal haul in 2024. The entire Team Eswatini delegation is expected to decrease to 153 from 207 last year. Worth noting is that Special Olympics athletics was a new sporting code that travelled and recorded medals. Sporting codes that will not form part of Team Eswatini this year, despite featuring last year, are judo and netball.
Sporting codes:
1. Basketball
2. Volleyball
3. Tennis
4. Taekwondo
5. Football
6. Swimming
7. Boxing
8. Athletics
