Africa-Press – Mozambique. President Filipe Nyusi arrives in Lilongwe, Malawi, this afternoon to attend the opening ceremony of the 10th edition of the African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5 Youth Games and witness a tribute to former 800 metre world champion Lurdes Mutola and former Minister of Youth and Sports of Mozambique Joel Libombo.
The games starting today take place under the motto “Igniting the African Dream” and bring together young athletes from the countries of Southern Africa in a variety of sporting codes.
The opening ceremony of the AUSC Region 5 Games and tribute to Lurdes Mutola and Joel Libombo are scheduled for the early evening and will be one of the highlights of the day.
This morning, Lurdes Mutola told our reporter that it was “an honour to be honoured in another country, in this case Malawi”, and that “it is also with enormous pride that I recall the achievements that I produced for my country.”
Regarding the example that the organisation of the games wants to pass on to young athletes who, for the most part, participate in international events for the first time, Lurdes Mutola recognized the AUSC platform as the first stage beyond national borders, recalling that her own international career started in Botswana.
“For young people it is very good to know that after this championship there is more to come,” Mutola said. “This event is just a tournament in the region, where our young people can start an international career and where I, in particular, started mine. My first international competition was in Botswana, a country in the region. From there I went on to the African Championship, the World Championships and the Olympic Games. These AUSC games are a platform for our young people to shine and dream for the future.”
Joel Libombo recalled that it was while he was in 2004 that our country hosted the first edition of the AUSC games.
“Without false modesty, I feel moved and honoured by this tribute, because I think Mozambique deserves this recognition,” he said. “We have been here since the beginning of Zone V, and we have worked hard to ensure that it consolidates and becomes the most dynamic zone in the entire continent, in terms of programs and achievements. We were at the forefront of this process. It is no coincidence that we are here to witness the opening of the 10th edition of these games that we pioneered. That is something to be proud of.”
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