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Collin Matiza Sports Editor
THE African Union Sports Council Region 5 Chief Executive Officer Stanley Mutoya received global recognition for the sterling work he has done in contributing towards development of sport for all in Southern Africa.
Mutoya of Zimbabwe received the Friend for Life Award from The Association For International Sports for All (TAFISA) in the city of Dusseldorf, in Germany on November 3, 2023.
The Friend For Life Award is conferred on individuals who have contributed immensely towards the growth of TAFISA and development of sport for all globally. Mutoya’s work in ensuring that sport reaches everyone in Southern Africa has been noted and appreciated globally and deservedly received recognition at world stage, in the process projecting Region 5 and Zimbabwe on the global map.
Mutoya has been pivotal in the training of Sport for All practitioners through the TAFISA Certified Leadership Courses. In addition, Region 5 has ensured that all 10 Member Countries have affiliated to the global body as members of TAFISA.
Region 5 has also been the pioneers of a Mobility Exchange Programme called Female Leaders of Tomorrow (FLOT) which saw 10 young women leaders (one from each of the 10 Region 5 Member Countries) partnering with 10 others from Europe leading to a final exchange session held in Kazakstan in 2021.
Anna Mguni of Zimbabwe, Muditambi Ravele and Katongo Bwalya of Zambia were the three mentors for these girls.
Under Mutoya’s leadership, Region 5 has introduced several high impact Sport for All programmes.
Key among these is the Walk for Life which this year targeted 10 000 walking in Southern Africa on September 30, 2023. The Walk for Life feeds int the TAFISA World Walking Day Global Challenge designed to get people walking across the 24 world time zones.
In addition, Region 5 has introduced the virtual aerobics programme called E-fitness in which every Friday between 6am and 6.30 am Region 5 conducts an aerobics session through their Facebook page to keep everyone physically active.
This programme has grown to attract huge interest from the public and provides access to physical activity in the comfort of people’s homes.
The Region 5 Women Leadership Programme has grown over the years.
This is a mentorship programme aimed at training 2 000 women by 2028 in sports and sports for all leadership.
Each country trains 20 women per year over an eight-month period. The concept aims to address capacity gaps that exist between men and women in leadership.
The programme has received rave reviews from global players including TAFISA as it is a unique and local initiative which is likely to be scaled up to a global stage.
Speaking on the award from Dusseldorf, Germany, Mutoya said: “I am grateful and honoured to have received such global recognition. To imagine that over 350 sports leaders from 71 countries unanimously agreed to recognise the humble efforts I have deployed towards making the world a better place through sport is more than humbling.”
The visibly elated Mutoya went further and said: “It is motivating and encouraging to note that the world will be watching when people do well.”
TAFISA is the leading international sport for all organisation whose aim is to create a better world by unfolding the potential of Sport for All and physical activity globally and maximising its contribution to overcoming the world’s global challenges.
TAFISA has over 383 member organisations in more than 170 countries on all continents.
The 28th TAFISA World Congress drew representatives from all over the world – from grassroots to international sports organisations — under the theme, “Sport for All: More together than ever.”
Online Reporter