Olympics: We will only reap what we sow

IN competitions that involve physical exertion, there can be no substitute for hard work.

Talent alone will not cut it.

But breeding success takes years of investment.

So, essentially, in sport, as in any other endeavour, you can only reap what you sow.

As Bra Shakes said before the beginning of the Paris Olympics, we cannot expect podium finishes at the Games without meaningfully investing in local sports.

All we expect is for our representatives to compete and give their best, which they have done and will surely do in the days ahead.

On Friday, our rower, Stephen Cox, finished fifth in the Men’s Single Sculls Final E at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium in what was his last race at the competition.

Though he was disappointed in the end, as he wanted to improve his world rankings, he still gave it his best shot.

At some point, he gave us a reason to believe.

It is the same story with swimmer Denilson Cyprianos, who made his debut at the Olympics.

Although he fell short of qualification on Wednesday, he set a new personal best and national record in the men’s 200-metre backstroke at the Paris La Defense Arena.

It was a commendable achievement for the debutant.

No one will fault him for effort.

Like Denilson, Paige Van der Westhuizen, another swimmer who was making her first appearance at the Games, had also finished first in the women’s 100 metres freestyle in her heat a day earlier, but was unfortunately eliminated.

This is obviously telling.

This week, it is the turn of our athletes — sprinters Makanakaishe Charamba and Tapiwanashe Makarawu (who both qualified for the 200 metres event), as well as long-distance runners Isaac Mpofu and Rutendo Nyahora — to do their bit.

But we have to commend our Olympians for giving their all and putting up commendable performances under extraordinarily difficult circumstances.

For some, if not most of them, it is a combination of sheer passion and self-sponsorship that has taken them to the world stage, and this must change.

As Bra Shakes continues to emphasise, we need to establish structures and facilities that identify and incubate talent from kindergarten to produce super athletes.

It is not by accident that French swimming sensation Léon Marchand, who has now won four gold medals at the Paris Olympics, is only 22.

Although he comes from a family with a strong swimming background, his talent was nurtured from a very young age.

They say a young Léon trained with the Dauphins du TOEC club in Toulouse and later moved to the United States to train under Bob Bowman at Arizona State University.

So, his success is not by accident.

The same way we have invested in education is the same way we should invest in sport to uplift careers of those who are not academically inclined.

A deliberate policy that promotes sport in communities and schools will help.

The private sector can also do more through sponsoring promising athletes, teams and sporting disciplines.

Besides the traditional sponsors that we have known, most companies are still shy to identify with sport.

The world in general and sport in particular are evolving in ways never imagined before.

And sport is now big business that is changing lives and economies.

That the global sports industry is forecast to grow to more than US$640 billion by 2028 should force us to revise our priorities.

It is doable.

Until next time.

Peace!

Yours Sincerely,