Mutorwa opens Council of Ministers meeting

Namibiaâ??s Minister of Youth, National Service, Sport and Culture, John Mutorwa officially opened the special meeting of the Supreme Council for Sport in Africa â?? Zone 6 Ministers meeting at Windhoekâ??s Safari Hotel on June 26.
The meeting was attended by Ministers of Sport of SADC nations who have arrived in Namibia for the opening of the SADC Zone 6 Under 20 Youth Games.
Mutorwa said it was significant that the special meeting was taking place just before the official opening of the Youth Games, because it showed how seriously they took the Games and the development of the regionâ??s youth.
â??Our delegations will undoubtedly note the regionâ??s political commitment to the Youth Games and to the Zoneâ??s aims to contribute, through sport, to the regionâ??s integration, stability, economic progress, unity and peaceful co-existence,â? he said.
â??Sport enables our youth to meet, mix, play against and with others and also to participate in well structured and regulated activities, which are controlled by rules and regulations. This helps them to develop and acquire social maturity and fitness,â? he added.
Mutorwa called on officials and the youth not to cheat, especially with regard to their age.
â??Sport should be guided by the principle of fair play. Our youth should be encouraged to respect rules and regulations at all times,â? he said.
Mutorwa said the Games would encourage regional integration, while the rotation of the Games from one SADC country to another every two years would encourage the member states to put in place required physical sport structures to host the Games.
â??I am informed that South Africa, the next host, have already started preparing for 2008. I want to urge the next hosts after South Africa, Swaziland in 2010 and even Zambia in 2012 to start preparations now,â? he said.
He called on his fellow ministers to discuss how the region could work together to ensure that they host more continental tournaments like the African Cup of Nations and other African championships in other sport disciplines.