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THE Africa Union Sports Council Region Five believes there is a need for transformation in the way sport is run.
Stanley Mutoya, the chief executive officer of the body in charge of sport in the Sadc Region, says going forward marginalised groups should see an increase in activity and budgets to cater for them.
“The African Union Sports Council prides itself in ensuring that sport in society becomes one of the strongest pillars in the delivery of the sports ecosystem in the region,” said Mutoya at the weekend. He said there is support from the member governments.
Sport was made one of the pillars when the Protocol on Sport was signed by Sadc Member States in 2001.”We create a conducive, inclusive and cohesive accessible sports ecosystem which is top of the agenda of the Region Five Council of Sports Ministers as defined in our constitution and strategic plan,” said Mutoya.
The Strategic Plan starts from 2024-2028 and its critical elements are areas of focus heritage, excellence and agile management and matters of resources. He emphasised that transformation was critical. Mutoya said there has to be a mindset shift despite success in the training of personnel in several fields.
“There has to be a mindset shift, that solutions are home-grown,” said Mutoya. In the transformation process he said there was a need to attend to matters to do with inclusion of people with disabilities and vulnerable groups like women and children.
He said there needed to be an increase in the number of participants.”Matters for people with disabilities are quite cardinal as we move in the revolution as a follow-up to the Lilongwe Conference of 2015 and the meeting held in Gaborone in June 2024.
Mutoya also said there were issues of heritage to be dealt with in the transformation process.
He said it was unfortunate that people with disabilities born to some families tended to be hidden and denied sporting opportunities.
Mutoya said some facilities were still not accessible for people with disabilities as among key issues to be attended to. He noted that even budgets differed. More was spent on Olympics than Paralympics.
“Paralympic athletes are not supported. These are transformational issues, we have to level the space,” he said.
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