JUST IN: Zimbabwe to revamp its sporting structure

Grace Chingoma Senior Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWEAN sport will usher in a new administrative structure after the proposed National Sports Council structure was revealed today.

Following virtual consultations with national sports associations, the Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation, Kirsty Coventry, yesterday announced that a trial structure would be set up by end of next.

The Ministry, through Parliament, is in the process of amending or repealing the SRC Act which was created by an Act of Parliament Chapter 25:15 of 1991.

And as part of this restructuring, in a move meant to ensure more efficiency, inclusivity and compliance by national sports associations, a Sports Council would be established at in the meantime will work together with the existing Sports Commission before it is tweaked.

The Sports Council will have 15 members and will run on a trial basis for about six to eight months until the legalities are completed.
“The chairperson will always be appointed by the Minister.

“The vice-president or the first vice-chairperson would be the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee president, the second vice-chairperson would be the Zimbabwe National Paralympic president, the actual board and its members would be made up of a sit for the special Olympics president, six Minister’s appointments and five appointments from the national association themselves.

“One of those five must come from a non-Olympic sport and one of those must be an athletes’ representative.

“This makes the new Zimbabwe sports council a total of 15, seven appointments by the minister, and eight by the national associations.

“This is the first for Zimbabwe, as it now empowers the national associations, to be leading and governing themselves. What we would expect to see from the sports council is a more unified Zimbabwe sport,” said Coventry.