Online Reporter
Zimpapers Sports Hub
THE Minister of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture, Anselem Sanyatwe, has called for urgent reforms in Zimbabwe’s sports delivery systems after touring some of Belarus’ leading high-performance sporting institutions in Minsk.
Sanyatwe who visited the East European country last week, had a chance to tour the Republican Centre for Olympic Training in Tennis, the City Centre for Olympic Training in Tennis, the International Standard Swimming Pool and the State Institution Health Resort Yunost under the Presidential Property Management Directorate of the Republic of Belarus.
The visit exposed the power of structured, deliberate and technically driven sports institutions in building a globally competitive sporting nation.
Belarus, despite its relatively small population, has managed to position itself as a respected force in international sport through sustained investment in specialised facilities, scientific athlete development systems, technical staffing structures and strong national competition frameworks.
At the Republican Centre for Olympic Training in Tennis, the Zimbabwean delegation witnessed a system built with clear national purpose. The facility integrates athlete identification, training, competition preparation and technical development under one co-ordinated structure.
The presence of different court surfaces, including clay courts and lawn tennis courts, demonstrated Belarus’ deliberate strategy to prepare athletes for varying international playing conditions.
The Minister noted that such intentional infrastructure planning has directly contributed to Belarus’ continued competitiveness in international tennis.
“What we have seen here is a country that made a deliberate decision to institutionalise excellence in sport. Facilities are not operating in isolation. They are part of a national system linked to athlete development, competitions, science and administration,” said Minister Sanyatwe.
The Minister said Zimbabwe must begin to seriously rethink the structure and management of its sporting institutions if the country is to compete consistently at the highest level.
He questioned the absence of strong and consistent national competitions in some sporting disciplines and highlighted the importance of reviving major tournaments such as the Zimbabwe Open Tennis Championships.
“National competitions are the heartbeat of high-performance sport. You cannot build elite athletes without regular high-level competition. We must begin to ask ourselves difficult questions about the absence of competitions such as the Zimbabwe Open. Such tournaments are important not only for athlete development but also for international sporting relations and economic activity,” he said.
Minister Sanyatwe expressed strong desire to see the Zimbabwe Open return to the international calendar, adding that strengthened bilateral relations with Belarus could potentially open doors for Belarusian athletes and technical teams to participate in future editions of the tournament.
The Minister said Zimbabwe has the potential to become a regional sporting hub if it strategically rebuilds its competition structures and modernises facility management systems.
At the International Standard Swimming Pool, the delegation observed another example of a highly organised and technically managed sports establishment. The facility operates under a structured activity matrix supported by strong collaboration with the national swimming association and highly specialised technical personnel.
Officials at the facility demonstrated how consistent maintenance systems, technical supervision, programming and athlete-centred scheduling have enabled the complex to remain highly functional and relevant for both elite sport and public utilisation.
The visit carried particular significance for Zimbabwe given similarities between the Belarusian facility and the country’s own Aquatic Complex infrastructure.
The Minister said the key lesson was that infrastructure alone is not enough without proper institutional systems to sustain operations.
“We have facilities back home with enormous potential. The issue is not always infrastructure deficit alone, but the structures around management, technical staffing, maintenance culture and programming. Facilities must operate within professional systems that guarantee sustainability and high performance outcomes,” said Hon Sanyatwe.
The Minister added that Zimbabwe must maximise international cooperation and utilise growing bilateral relationships to strengthen local sports systems through technical exchange programmes, staff development, competition exposure and institutional benchmarking.
The tour of the Health Resort Yunost further reinforced the Belarusian approach of integrating athlete welfare, recovery, rehabilitation and scientific support services into the broader high-performance sport ecosystem.
The visit to Minsk was more than a diplomatic engagement, but a strategic benchmarking mission that may influence Zimbabwe’s future direction in sports infrastructure management, athlete development and institutional reform.
The Minister’s observations now place responsibility on sporting governing bodies, facility managers, national associations and sports delivery agencies to respond with practical reforms capable of transforming Zimbabwe’s sporting systems into competitive and sustainable high-performance structures.
