Paul, Maximillian, Miko, Most and Samson, Milika, Yvonne, Charity, Astrida and Priscilla …
They are the ten finalists of the cross-country race under 14 organized by the Olympic Centre of Lusaka under the programme: I.O.C. President’s Athletic Challenge.
Our 10 children arrive from different rural areas, far one from the other even about thirty kilometers.
Today 17th November, there is the final and the departure of the race is supposed to be at 8 in the morning.
Absolutely unthinkable to organize the transport of the 10 young athletes in the morning. It is necessary to group them the evening before. Five of them, the furthest from Lusaka are hosted in Chikupi where they will spend the night all together, a new experience, new emotions. In two minutes everything is organized but we did not think about the supper. No problem, in Chikupi we grow chickens and we offer a 2kg one to the team. The girls organize in a blink of an aye the killing and cooking of the chicken and cook nshima (a white polenta without salt, staple food of many African countries) for everybody.
Place you go to, custom you find … I wonder what three Italian thirteen year old would have done in the same situation, probably they would have had some money and an adult at hand to cook.
It is morning, we start off, at six on the dot I take on the truck the athletes and coaches to Kafue, where there is already the minibus waiting to then go to Lusaka and pick up another 4 people on the way.
Two athletes are missing, unfortunately in the rural areas often the people are still without phone or the phone is broken or it is not charged. On the road we find two children who want to come with us, ready with their backpack on the shoulder, but they were not amongst the finalists and we had never seen them before … why are they there waiting? How did they know about the all thing? Having places available we got them on the car and they came with us, the desire to run is enough. Other big difference with Italy, I think in Italy we would have been arrested for kidnapping …
We are the first ones to arrive, the departure at the end is at 9.30 and already somebody looks at me like I was the crazy musungu who after 6 years in Zambia still did not understand that punctuality is often optional. But it does not matter, you cannot arrive late hoping in the delay of others, it is like covering a mistake with another mistake and you will never get better.
The other teams arrive and the first looks between the athletes start, the first comments and the first fears, those wonderful pre race feelings and the study of the opponents. This time though they are not the usual opponents who by now know each other by heart, those of Never Give Up, but they are new opponents, unknown and hence more feared. And it is no longer Chikupi village against Kabwesa village … but Sport2build against the rest of the world …
We go!!! Two rounds on the outside of the track. The girls first, spectacular! First, second, fourth and fifth. Then the boys, first third and fourth. Highlight for Maximillian who during the warm up hurt his foot and is bleeding … I ask if it is paining and after three seconds of silence in which you could see the thousands evaluations in his mind he says in total tranquility: No. And then he will arrive third.
We are all happy and we go towards the hall where the prize giving will take place for 4 different sport programmes which group about ten sports.
Almost 1000 children present, food for all, dances and the usual speeches by politicians and invited sponsors to the occasion. Two of our athletes will receive a medal, like most improved and most promising. In January there will be the National Youth Championships, in March the Continental Championships in Nigeria and in July the World Championships in Ukraine … who knows … and as we are now saying we look up high at the stars and let’s give it a try …