Dr. Decius Chipande, Coordinator Africa Union Sports Council (AUSC), has said he is impressed with the facilities provided for the on-going 13th African Games, in Accra. At a press conference at the University of Ghana Sports Stadium, he said 'yes, I'm very impressed with the Games Village, and all the nine venues for the games because hosting such an event is not easy'. He said, 'African Games brings athletes together, promotes culture, positive values, solidarity and integration across the continent'. He added that the Games had also offered effective platform for fostering youth inclusion, gender equality and social cohesion, which were key priorities for making the agenda 2063 aspirations of 'The African We Want' a tangible reality'. He said the AU Policy for Sustainable Development of Sports in Africa 2023-2033 encourages member states, AU Sports Council Regions and sports federations to mainstream gender within safe and inclusive sport policy frameworks as well as other collaborative initiatives wit h UN and international entities. Mr. Volero De Divitus, Programme Coordinator United Nations Office of Counter Terrorism (UNOCT) said sports was one of the tools, which prevented terrorist attacks. He said, 'Sport has the power to strengthen communities, promote cultural values, and prevents social vices'. According to Mr. De Divitus UNOCT was in a collaboration with AUSC to promote the value of sport and to build a relationship to fight violent extremism. He said, 'we are also in collaboration with the council in the upcoming events on the continent such as Women's Africa Cup of Nations, the AFCON in Morocco, the Youth Olympics 2026 in Senegal, AFCON 2027 edition in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda'. He said in a few weeks UNOCT offices would be coming out with their guidelines reflecting youth experience, youth perspectives on how sports prevent violence extremism. Our coverage of the 13th African Games is brought to you by Bethel Logistics Co. Ltd - Bethel Logistics, Experts in Shipping Logistics. Source : Ghana News Agency SWAKOPMUND: Secretary General of the Namibia Paralympic Committee, Michael Hamukwaya, has called for inclusivity for para-athletes in sports competitions, including the recently concluded Rössing Uranium Marathon. In a recent interview with Nampa, Hamukwaya expressed his wish for an elite para-athlete category to be introduced to the marathon, enabling disabled athletes to showcase their skills and abilities. 'The Rössing Marathon is one of the largest in the country, and para-athletes across the nation have only had the opportunity to participate for enjoyment, not necessarily for any prize money. So, this year, we decided to take an extra step and entered two of our elite wheelchair para-athletes to compete in the 42.2-kilometre race for people, including the organisers, to realise that paralympics are not just about participation, but can also be competitive,' Hamukwaya noted. According to the secretary general, although there were a few setbacks during the race such as flat tires, it was a learning exp erience, and the para-athletes successfully completed the race. 'Essentially, we entered to demonstrate our seriousness. These para-athletes have the capability to go the distance, with the appropriate equipment, if they were given the platform. We hope we have convinced the organisers of these events,' Hamukwaya added. Roodley Gawaseb, one of the para-athletes who participated in the Rössing Marathon, echoed Hamukwaya's sentiments, stating that including them in these local competitions where they can compete for prizes would assist them in raising funds to cover travel expenses for international competitions. 'We truly want organisers of these events to consider including us because as it stands, we are really struggling to finance these trips. As much as we want to enhance our skills and improve our times, attending as many competitions as possible is challenging because we have to seek funding for everything ourselves. If we do not have an opportunity to win any prizes, then we cannot do that,' Gawaseb said, adding that he intends to prepare and hopefully qualify for the Sanlam Marathon in South Africa, scheduled for October this year, and the Commonwealth Games next year. Source: The Namibia Press Agency
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