The 2018 Edition of the National Youth and Paralympics Games which would have begun on Wednesday in Zimbabwe have been postponed. This is due to a typhoid outbreak that has so far claimed five lives in the Midlands capital.
President Ernest Mnangagwa last week visited Gweru to assess the situation after the typhoid outbreak which reports say has already affected over 100 residents. The President confirmed that the take-off of the National Youth and Paralympics Games program had been affected by the outbreak and assured that new dates would be announced soon.
The country’s leader, however, declared that the Ministry of Health and Child Care will soon release the tests results on the typhoid outbreak in Gweru.
The country’s Health and Sports Ministers have announced that a technical meeting with the key stakeholders will be held on Tuesday to determine the new dates. Officials in charge of the two Ministries have confirmed that the Games will still be held in Gweru after the test results and the announcement of the new dates.
More than 7,500 athletes and officials were expected to converge on Gweru for the annual games which were initially scheduled to kick off on Wednesday and run up to the end of this month.
The National Youth Games were inaugurated in 2003 in Bulawayo as a national strategy meant to enhance sport development among youths below the age of 20. The Games currently include sporting disciplines such as athletics, basketball, boxing, handball, football, netball, tennis and volleyball.
The Games are usually hosted on a rotational basis. Athletes who excel in them are identified by the National Sports Associations and are further nurtured through training and exposure to higher levels of competition.
