Dmitry Chernyshenko holds working meeting with Vice President of Zimbabwe Constantino Chiwenga
Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko held a working meeting with Vice President of Zimbabwe Constantino Chiwenga as part of the Games of the Future tournament in Kazan to discuss cooperation in sports and higher education. Minister of Sport of Russia Oleg Matytsin participated in the meeting as well.
The Deputy Prime Minister thanked his counterpart for the visit and wished him warm and memorable impressions from his stay in Russia.
“The Games of the Future tournament was supported by President Vladimir Putin,” Dmitry Chernyshenko said. “Without a doubt, Zimbabwe will get involved and support the phygital movement. We are glad to see athletes from Zimbabwe take part in the first Games of the Future in Kazan. I hope they will achieve good results and victories, and also appreciate the idea behind holding such a tournament.”
Mr Chernyshenko noted that the tournament has sparked genuine interest among young people and the wider sports community. He said he was certain that the phygital movement has a bright future, adding that Russia was willing to take in Zimbabwean athletes for advanced training at modern sports centres in Russia, as well as send Russian specialists to conduct brief training courses for coaches.
“Let me convey sincere fraternal wishes and greetings from our President Emmerson Mnangagwa to Vladimir Putin,” Constantino Chiwenga said. “This tournament and our leader and government’s visits to your wonderful country promote relations between our peoples. Through you, I would like to express gratitude to Russia for inviting our delegation to the tournament and the opportunity to attend this important event. Notably, during the visit to the Russian Federation, we had the opportunity to familiarise ourselves with the historical legacy of the Republic of Tatarstan and the city of Kazan. The official opening of the Games of the Future clearly outlined the future of these competitions and the entire country.”
He thanked Russia for bilateral cooperation in science and education, as well as space and cultural projects, and for hosting the Russia-Africa forum.
In turn, Oleg Matytsin thanked the Zimbabwean student teams for taking part in the International University Sports Festival which took place in Yekaterinburg in August 2023, and invited the Zimbabwean teams to come over for the BRICS Sports Games in Kazan and the World Friendship Games which will be held in Yekaterinburg.
Dmitry Chernyshenko proposed stepping up cooperation in specialised higher education, professional training, and advanced retraining. Likewise, the Russian side is ready to host joint training camps at federal sports camps in Russia and Zimbabwe, and to provide coaches to prepare Zimbabwean athletes for major international competitions.
Ambassador at Large and Foreign Ministry Special Envoy for International Sports Cooperation Mikhail Khorev attended the meeting.
Zimbabwe was represented by Senior Principal Director in the Office of Vice President Grey Mashava, Director of the Foreign Ministry and International Trade Frederick Shava, Permanent Secretary in the Office of Vice President Marcia Nyanda, and Deputy Head of Mission of the Republic of Zimbabwe in Russia Muponisi Dzapasi.
