Zimbabwe’s National Youth Games return after six-year hiatus

The Zimbabwe National Youth and Paralympic Games have resumed in 2026 after a six-year absence, with Parliament’s Sport Committee Chairperson Farai Jere hailing the development as a major boost for youth development, social cohesion, and national unity.

The Games, officially opened by Vice President Kembo Mohadi on 16 August, are being held in Marondera, Mashonaland East, with the Youth Games running from 12-18 August and the Paralympic Games from 20-26 August.

“The whole nation was concerned by the absence of these games for six years,” Jere told Parliament. “Sport is not merely about competition and medals; it provides a powerful platform through which our young people can confront and speak openly about challenges affecting them, including drug and substance abuse, gender-based violence, stigma and other social challenges.”

The Games, last held in Midlands Province in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic, traditionally reach approximately 40,000 young people countrywide. Approximately 3,400 athletes are competing in the 2026 edition, representing all ten provinces. The Sports and Recreation Commission indicated that the Games have been conducted on a rotational basis among provinces, ensuring nationwide participation and talent identification.

This year’s edition marks a historic first by incorporating the Paralympic Games into the national platform, a move Jere described as “a major step towards ensuring that sport becomes genuinely inclusive and accessible to all Zimbabweans, including young persons with disabilities.”

“This initiative is also consistent with the vision and mantra of His Excellency, the President, Dr Emmerson D. Mnangagwa, ‘leaving no one and no place behind,'” Jere said. “In the context of sport, this means that a talented child from Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South, Bulawayo, Midlands, Masvingo, Manicaland, Mashonaland East, Mashonaland West, Mashonaland Central or Harare must have an equal opportunity to participate, be identified, nurtured and ultimately represent Zimbabwe.”

The return follows a US$1.05 million five-year partnership between the Sports and Recreation Commission and TN Holdings Group that bankrolled the event’s resurrection. Under the theme “Breaking the Silence Through Sport,” the Games are being used as a vehicle to tackle social issues including drug abuse, GBV, stigma and discrimination.

Jere commended the Government, the Ministry of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture, the Sports and Recreation Commission, sporting associations, and all stakeholders for bringing back “this important national programme.”

However, he warned that “as Parliament, we must ensure that the return of the Games is not a once-off event.”

Jere called on the responsible Ministry to ensure sustainable funding for annual editions, equitable provincial representation, full integration of young persons with disabilities into talent development programmes, structured coaching and scholarship pathways for identified talent, equitable development of sporting infrastructure across provinces, concrete programmes addressing social challenges facing young people, and the creation of a comprehensive national database of emerging athletes.

“Every child deserves a chance to discover their talent, regardless of their province, background or disability,” Jere said. “The return of the National Youth and Paralympic Games therefore presents Zimbabwe with an opportunity not only to revive sport, but to build a generation that is disciplined, healthy, confident, inclusive and proud to represent the nation.”

He added: “As we implement the President’s vision of leaving no one and no place behind, in line with the National Development Strategy 2, let us ensure that no talented child is left behind simply because they come from a remote community, a disadvantaged background or live with a disability.”

“This is the Zimbabwe we must build,” Jere concluded, “a Zimbabwe where every young person has a place on the field, on the track, in the pool, in the arena and ultimately on the international stage.”