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BUDDING rugby stars have been urged to shun doping.The call was made by the speaker of the House of Assembly Advocate Jacob Mudenda during a reception to welcome teams that are competing at the ongoing World Rugby Under-20 Trophy Tournament in Harare last week.
“As young people involved in sport, I implore you to abstain from the abuse of substances in sport. I urge you to adhere to the safe and clean sport ethics as enshrined in the Anti-Doping Code.
“Let us exhibit the best Olympism that is tandem with our intrinsic values of Ubuntu/Hunhu,” said Mudenda.
He added that the benefits of Zimbabwe playing host to the rugby extravaganza are immense.
“The multifaceted legacy of this tournament will be felt for years to come encapsulating areas that transcend the narrow confines of sport in general and rugby in particular. An event such as this one helps some people remove cobwebs from their eyes and opens new vistas to the appreciation of new experiences and cultures.
“In essence, rugby has a pivotal role to play in promoting and fostering solidarity and peace among nations. Consequently, it has to banish the negative” isms” such as racism and sexism from the beautiful game of rugby on and off the field of play,” he said.
In his welcome remarks the Minister of Sport and Recreation Makhosini Hlongwane called on the athletes to “go and tell the good story of Zimbabwe” when the return home.
“Zimbabwe offers one of the best world class tourist destinations. I am indeed encouraging you, dear athletes and your technical officials, to go back to your respective countries and tell the good story about Zimbabwe that you saw,” he said.
“As we may all be aware, sport brings together people of diverse backgrounds. Sport has no language barrier. Sport has no colour. Sport has no age. Sport has no gender disparity. Sport is universal.
“You can preach peace through sport. You can stop wars through sport. You can create and strengthen relationships through sport.Sport is dynamic. We are all gathered here tonight through sport. We have eight countries gathered in this august house tonight, people of diverse origins and backgrounds, all because of the sport of rugby.”
Hlongwane noted that Zimbabwe has gone a long way in taking rugby to all corners of the country.
“In Zimbabwe, rugby was always considered elite sport. It had not had a chance to cascade down to the grassroots. We are in the process of taking the sport of rugby to the grassroots so that we are able to build a very strong base for selection into our national teams.
“The coming in of so many countries in Zimbabwe, will encourage and inspire our young people to take up the sport of rugby for health reasons, leisure and for a living,” he said.
Online Reporter