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Ishemunyoro Chingwere
THE Annual National Sports Awards banquet will be held on December 16 amid concerns about declining sponsorship.
Sports and Recreation Commission director for marketing and business development Daniel Kuwengwa said they were forced to reduce prize money this year by more than 50 percent.
The follows a decision by the awards sponsors, Delta Beverages, to further cut this year’s package from US$30 000 to US$20 000.
“The economy is bad and it’s something we cannot run away from,” said Kuwengwa. “At the same time the negative publicity which some of our biggest sporting codes get has not done us any good. Fine there is the issue of factual reporting which you (journalists) can defend yourselves with, but if you look at it at the end of the day you would have done more harm than good.
“Then there is also the lack of corporate governance in sport. It’s something that sponsors always point at when we approach them for partnerships.”
Kuwengwa said as long as these fundamentals were not addressed the already small purse might shrink further.
Asked if the SRC was also not to blame for allowing the rot in sport, Kuwengwa argued: “It’s not just about punishment. As a Commission we are taking a positive approach, where we are saying let’s go the way of capacity building.
“Let’s take the South African example, how many universities and colleges are offering sports degrees and various courses there?
“Now look at the situation here. We have a long way to go because most of the administrators we have are only in those positions by chance.”
Online Reporter