THE National Youth Games local organising committee and their group of volunteers have this week been busy putting the final touches to their preparations ahead of the competition’s opening on Sunday.

LOC assistant general manager technical Sebastian Garikai said yesterday his committee was confident Harare would be ready for the start of the Eighth Youth Games which they hope will be the biggest and best since the inauguration of the inter-provincial event in Bulawayo in 2003.

"We have started marking the grounds and we are also working together with sporting associations. We have volunteers who were recruited to complement the sprucing up of the Games venues, as we speed up the preparations.

"The venues that we will be using are among the best that can be found in the country and they are used for international competitions. This exercise must be completed tomorrow and the provinces that will arrive early might have an opportunity to practise at the venues," Garikai said.

Belvedere Technical Teachers’ College will host boxing and volleyball while boys’ basketball, football and tennis will be played at Prince Edward.

Girls’ basketball will be at Queen Elizabeth while Allan Wilson will host girls’ football. Handball will be played at Magamba Hockey Stadium. St George’s College will host boys’ tennis.

Mbare Netball Complex will host netball. The venue for athletics will be finalised today with indications that the events might be held at either the National Sports Stadium or University of Zimbabwe.

The local organising committee will today engage the Ministry of Public Works to secure the National Sports Stadium for the Games. Local organising committee chief executive Philemon Machana said they wanted to seek clarification after receiving communication that the venue was booked by two church organisations when they had earlier been told that the giant stadium would be free during the Games’ period.

Machana said in the event that they fail to secure the use of the National Sports Stadium, they would use the University of Zimbabwe’s facilities, which are currently being refurbished.

Meanwhile, the annual BN Soccer Academy holiday coaching clinics are set to begin next week.

The brains behind the academy, Bhekimpilo Nyoni, said the first session will run from August 16-20. It caters for the 8-19 years age group. Nyoni said the second coaching clinic is set for August 23-27, for the same age group. The venue is Belgravia Sports Club. The participants will have to part with US$30 for the programme that started in 1998.

"Coaches that will work with the juniors are Biggie Zuze, Antony Vheriwa, Steve Chikodzi and Tongai Matara.

"These coaches have high qualifications and worked with the juniors for 10 years.

"Zuze has CAF C-Licence while the others have Level 4 certificates. During the school terms, these coaches are attached to St. George’s College football teams.
"Vheriwa coaches the first team and recently won the Cheeze tournament for the Private Schools held at Falcon College in Bulawayo," Nyoni said.

Chikodzi is involved with the Under-17 with Matara losing to Lord Malvern during the Copa Coca-Cola Harare Provincial finals.

During the coaching clinics, coaches will select the best defender, central midfielder and a striker from the Under-19 group.

The selected trio will receive university scholarships in United States and will start in September next year.

BN Soccer Academy has produced players who have gone on to represent the country at various regional and international events.

Musa Kalombo of Courtney Selous Primary School, was part of the team that represented Zimbabwe during the VW Junior World Masters Under-13 tournament in Spain.

Deven Hansil a striker is part of Zimbabwe’s U-15 squad that is in Singapore for the inaugural Olympic Youth Games.

Simon Marange is scheduled to leave the country at the end of this month for United States of America on full scholarship.

Currently Marange is training with the CAPS United reserve side.

Elijah Soko, a striker is also scheduled to depart in September for United States.

Soko will be attached at Brook High School, North Boston for four years.