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Ellina Mhlanga Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE Olympic Committee president, Admire Masenda, said they will have to move mountains for them to get support from the International Olympic Committee.
This follows the challenges which derailed efforts to build an Olympiafrica Centre in Epworth.
ZOC, and the Epworth Local Board signed an agreement in 2014, which was to meant to enable them to build a multi-purpose Centre in the area.
According to the agreement, the local board would provide land while the National Olympic Committee secure funding.
And, the ZOC secured the funding.
The project was being funded by the IOC, through the Olympiafrica Foundation, to a tune of US$500 000.
They had already secured US$150 000 for the project that would have seen the construction of a multi-disciplinary sport and cultural Centre.
But, the funding was withdrawn, following the invasion of the piece of land they had been allocated, by some settlers.
Masenda said if they were to resuscitate the project, they would have to start from scratch and provide assurance, to the IOC, that the project would take off.
“The project is on hold and will have to be started from scratch sometime in the future.
“The IOC would need concrete assurances before supporting the project,” Masenda said.
The first Olympiafrica Centre in Africa was built in Senegal in 1992.
Such models are in existence in over 35 countries all over Africa and the Epworth project was going to be the first in Zimbabwe.
Online Reporter