By ZBC Reporter
Zimbabwe will no longer participate in four sporting codes at the upcoming African Union Sports Council Region Five Youth Games after new measures were announced to manage COVID-19.
The new measures announced this Tuesday to curb the spread of a vicious Covid-19 strain, Omicron have resulted in the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation reducing the Zimbabwe delegation set to participate at the Region Five Youth Games in Lesotho.
Athletes representing the country in basketball, football, netball and athletics for the visually impaired are no longer travel to Maseru.
Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation Minister Honourable Kirsty Coventry spoke on the necessity of the latest development.
“The team was given new clearance measures and there were three main priorities, the first was that all athletes had to be vaccinated, that athletes had to produce a negative PCR test and must not have had contact with anyone who has been positive, due date to that of the test. Sadly basketball women and men are out, netball, soccer and our athletes who are visually impaired are also out, due to their team having been in camp and a high number of positive tests including coaches who have come in contact with all athletes we cannot safely allow them to travel,” she said.
Zimbabwe sent a team which will participate in athletics, boxing, gymnastics, judo, swimming, taekwondo and volleyball.
Meanwhile, the team left Harare this Wednesday aboard a chartered flight ahead of the Games which begin this Thursday.
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