Chronicle Editor
Leonard Ncube in Victoria Falls
THE Victoria Falls City Council has gone a gear up in its drive to develop a multi-purpose sports facility to tap into sports tourism that has not beeen exploited.
The local authority has identified Chinotimba Stadium and a virgin piece of land behind Mfelandawonye suburb as possible sites for the development of a multi-purpose sports facility.
The city management accompanied Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation Minister Kirsty Coventry on a tour of the proposed sites yesterday in an effort to get Government backing in their vision to develop sports tourism.
City housing director Brian Nyamande said the local authority was committed to investing in sports tourism.
“Our desire as enshrined in the strategic plan is to come up with a multi-disciplinary sporting facility in the town to tap into the potential of sports tourism. We have been having talks with the Ministry to explore the possibility of working together to come up with facilities. What is left now is for us to take care of the legal procedures in terms of documentation and we expect something to happen before the end of the year,” said Nyamande.
The city council has been scouting for investors to develop top class sports facilities in the resort town in an effort to diversify its economy.
Sports tourism is a low-hanging fruit that has not been exploited, especially in Victoria Falls, which is the only city in the country without a competitive topflight sport.
This has been attributed to lack of sporting facilities and support by the local tourism industry.
The only available football ground, Chinotimba Stadium, has been condemned as unsuitable for topflight football following years of neglect by council.
The city is home to Mosi Rovers, the Zifa Southern Region Division One League team.
The swimming pool that was partly renovated using United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) legacy funds is lying idle and could reach levels of disrepair soon if left unattended.
Residents and other stakeholders have implored the city fathers and the tourism industry to focus on attracting various clubs to Victoria Falls and tap into their multitudes of supporters. — @ncubeleon
Online Reporter