adminSikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
THE government has begun consultative meetings which will culminate in the drafting of the first National Sports Policy.
The first two meetings were held in Harare and Bulawayo on Saturday with a large cross section of sports practitioners attending the two meetings.
A steering committee headed by acting director of sports in the Ministry of Sports, Arts and Culture Tendai Tagara has since been put in place. Other members of the committee include Sports and Recreation Commission’s director of sports development Joseph Muchechetere, Zimbabwe Olympic Committee chief executive officer Anna Mguni, and SRC sports development manager Martin Dururu.
“The purpose of the consultative meetings is to get stakeholders’ input into the drafting of the policy. Sport relies on the co-operation and support of partners hence their involvement in the crafting of this document,” said the SRC’s spokesperson, Tirivashe Nheweyembwa.
He said the meetings will be held in all the country’s 10 provinces before the document is presented to Cabinet.
Nheweyembwa said after gathering the people’s views, they will compile a report before returning to the provinces again for their final approval of the document.
“We expect to be done and have the document presented to Cabinet by the end of next month.”
The move is also in line with the country’s Constitution which states that the state must take all practical measures to encourage sporting and recreational activities, including the provision of sporting and recreational facilities for all.
In Saturday’s meetings, delegates discussed 14 key areas, financing, sport influence, sport equipment, mass sport, high performance sport, sport administration, sport industry, sport inclusion, physical education, training of sport technical experts, sport science and medicine, sports heritage, sports awards and medicine as well as sport for development.
Online Reporter