TANZANIA HAS started preparations for this year’s East African Community (EAC) Military Games and Cultural Events which will be held in Zanzibar from August 18-31.

The Military Games and Cultural Events 2014 Preparation Committee Chairman, Brigadier General Cyril Mhaiki, told journalists in Dar es Salaam on Thursday that the event will be held in Zanzibar for the second time. Zanzibar first hosted the Games in 2007.

He noted that the main objective of the competitions is to consolidate unity. "Our main aim is to bring together East African soldiers and  consolidate unity among our member countries. That’s why the theme of the EAC Military Games is ‘One people one destiny’,” Mhaiki said.

He added that through the Games they will be able to identify talents existing in the military so that they can be groomed to serve their respective national teams.

"We expect that through these Games, we will generate sport talents which will be used to bolster national teams and yield good results when they participate in different competitions,” he said.

EAC Military Games and Cultural Events take place every year. Last year they were held in Nairobi where hosts Kenya emerged overall champion while Tanzania was crowned netball queens.

APR FC won bronze medal for Rwanda in football as other national teams finished fourth in basketball, netball and athletics while in handball and athletics, Rwanda managed a fifth-place finish.