University games get underway in Dar

*Athletes from 44 universities are expected in Dar es Salaam today for Eastern Africa University Games (EAUG) that get underway tomorrow.

The EAUG vice-president, Noel Kiunsi said forty four universities had confirmed participation.

Uganda’s Mbarara University athletes arrived on Tuesday while Ndejje University arrived yesterday while the rest are expected today.

President Jakaya Kikwete will not be available to grace the opening of the games as previously announced and instead Minister for Information, Youth, Culture and Sports Fenella Mukangara will take charge of the championship to be hosted by the University of Dar es Salaam under the auspices of the Tanzania Universities Sports Association (TUSA).

The 44 universities expected to compete at the games are from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda and Southern Sudan as confirmed by Kiunsi.

He said the EAUG is an event organised and held on a rotational basis among universities aimed to bring together students from scores of universities in the region and the games village will be at Mabibo Hostel.

Kiunsi said this year’s theme is to promote regional cooperation and peace through sports and he named venues to be used in the competition as the main campus of the University of Dar es Salaam, Ardhi University,  Makongo Secondary School and the National Stadium.

He mentioned some of the sports disciplines to be competed at the event as soccer, netball, basketball, volleyball, track and field events, swimming, chess, rugby, hockey and handball.

Others are taekwondo, karate, tennis, table tennis and scrabble.

According to him the country will use the games to select the team which will compete at the next year’s World University Games to be held in Russia in July.

Kenyatta University of Nairobi hosted the event when it was last held in 2010.