BCC keen to grow sports economy

Lovemore Dube

BULAWAYO City Council is keen to grow the metropolitan’s sports economy and to that end will partner sports organisations.

The City’s Sports Economy Initiative will be launched tomorrow with the Squash and Rackets Association of Zimbabwe the first to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the local authority.

“This is in a bid to position Bulawayo as a regional sports hub,” said city spokesperson, Nesisa Mpofu.

She said they were keen to see the development of a vibrant and growing sports economy whose effects would be seen on the services sector.

This will see tourism benefit as well as thousands of people visit Bulawayo for sporting activities every year.

Bulawayo has over the years played host to many national finals from junior level to international and visiting teams have warmed up to the people’s friendliness and the beauty of the city.

“The launch of the sports economy coincides with the hosting of an International Squash tournament (Zimbabwe Open Squash Championship) by the Squash Rackets Association of Zimbabwe from the 11th – 13th August 2023 at the Suburbs Squash Club and Old Miltonians Sports Clubs among other squash venues in the city. The games will start with the registration of players on Thursday, 10 August 2023 at the Suburbs Squash Club, and will run from Friday, 11 August 2023 to Sunday, 13 August 2023 where it will end with a prize giving ceremony at 1pm hours at the Suburbs Squash Club.

“The Sports Economy Initiative came after a realisation that sport and tourism have a symbiotic relationship that provides valuable visitor experiences and promotes economic development of a given locality. The development of sports tourism is an essential component of the sport economy initiative, which has contributed significantly to the Gross Domestic Product of many cities,” said Mpofu.

Last year the Bulawayo City Council moved an inch closer to launching sports tourism with the hosting of a cycling event which Kholwani Moyo, the city’s economic development officer said was a way of cultivating a dying culture.

“Bulawayo has been known for cycling. We had a big factory that manufactured bicycles and a vibrant sports competitions set up involving our cyclists of yesteryear. Seeing abadala cycle to and from work and at social gatherings and schoolchildren riding became Bulawayo’s distinct feature far different from other cities,” said Moyo.

Moyo said they would work towards a sports tourism concept that will see a specific route designed for tourists with a curator to visit places like Barbourfields and White City Stadium with Walls of Fame at most of the big sporting venues as the city celebrates its legends and past sport successes.

Last October a cycling event was launched and it is hoped it will bring hundreds of people to Bulawayo with its annual hosting as a way of growing sports economy and tourism.

The initiative falls in line with the National Development Strategy 1 which envisages that the levels of participation in sport and recreation activities would have increased from 15% in 2020 to 27% by year 2025.

“Participation in sport will be increased through commercialising sporting activities. Furthermore at a socio-economic level, sports tourism contributes significantly to Sustainable Development Goal 1 (end poverty in all its forms everywhere), Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Good health and wellbeing), Sustainable Development Goal 4(Quality education), Sustainable Development Goal 8 (Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all) and Sustainable Development Goal 11 (Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable),” said Mpofu.

Bulawayo has been historically known as a sporting powerhouse with great athletes such as Mathias Kanda, John Love, Glen Taute, Denis Streak, Dave Houghton, Peter Ndlovu, Benjani Mwaruwari, Marvellous Nakamba, Muzondiwa Mugadza, Agent Sawu, Tony de Souza, Gibson Homela, Barry Daka, Madinda Ndlovu, Lewis Banda, Pat Buckley, Patrick Mlauzi, Tony Fawcett, Collin Williams, Sean Williams, Fadzai Madzimbamuto, Ethan Dube, Kudzanayi Shoko, Roy Garden, Darren Winterboer, Vimbai Muhoma, Marina Polonakis-Burgess and Dumiso Khumalo, among great men and women to emerge from the city and excel nationally and beyond the country’s borders.

Sport has played a big role in development of health lifestyles, provision of employment and entertainment and free education opportunities through scholarships.

It has also been a glue holding communities together.

Soccer, cricket, athletics, cycling, boxing, wrestling, hockey, golf swimming, basketball, volleyball, rugby, horse racing, show jumping, squash, netball, lawn bowling and motor racing.

Bulawayo has played host to a number of international events and these come to mind:

• All Africa Games 1995;

• The Council of Southern Africa Football Association (Cosafa)

2017 Cosafa Women’s Championship;

• Cricket Two Test Series February 2023;

• African Union Sports Council Region 5 Youth games held on 5-14 December 2014;

• 2022 Squash Federation of Africa Seniors Championship;

• Confédération Africaine de Natation (CANA);

African Swimming Confederation;

CANA Zone IV Swimming Championships 16-19 February 2017;

• Olympic Qualifiers 2011;

• Africa Hockey Cup of Club Championship (ACCC) 2014;