21 Oct 2018

Assistant Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development, Dikgang Makgalemele has commended the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the 8th edition of the Africa Union Sports Commission (AUSC) Region 5 Games for working hard to deliver a high quality competition.

Speaking during the team draw for the games recently in Gaborone, Makgalemele said he was impressed by the hard work being put in by the committee.

“I am really impressed that up to now they (LOC) have indeed performed up to the set standards, and in some cases actually surpassed those standards,” he said.The 2018 games will be held in Gaborone from 7-15 December.

The Chef de Missions of the participating teams, which are Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zambia, Namibia, Malawi, Mozambique, Angola and Tanzania, were in attendacne to witness the draw.

Eight countries will compete in the boys’ football category where hosts Botswana has been drawn in Group A against Zambia, Namibia and Eswatini, while South Africa will face Angola, Malawi and Tanzania in Group B.Seven countries will contest the girls’ football category, with Botswana also being drawn in Group A against Zimbabwe, Malawi and Lesotho. In Group B, South Africa will lock horns with Namibia and Eswatini.

Seven teams will contest the netball tournament at the University of Botswana Indoor Centre, being Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia. The first match will feature South Africa against Mozambique.

The volleyball tournament will also be played in a round-robin format at Ditshupo Hall. There will be four teams in the male category which are Botswana, South Africa, Lesotho and Namibia, while the female category will be contested by Botswana, South Africa, Mozambique, Angola and Namibia. The basketball competition will feature four teams which are Botswana, Angola, Mozambique and South Africa in the round robin system at UB Indoor Sports Centre.Other sporting codes which will be played during the games are athletics, tennis, boxing, karate, judo and swimming.

LOC chairperon, Labbeaus Peloewetse said the committee had worked on preparations for the games for the past 14 months. Ends