Sports Integrity Bill on the cards

THE acting chief director in the Ministry of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture, Eugenia Chidhakwa said in Bulawayo at the weekend that the Sport Integrity Bill and the Sports, Leisure and Recreation Bill have been submitted to the Attorney General’s office for drafting as the country seeks to foster a clean sporting environment.

Chidhakwa made the revelations at the three-day Joint Portfolio Committee on Sports, Arts, Recreation and Culture three-day induction workshop that concluded in Bulawayo on Sunday.

Chief among its purposes, Chidhakwa said the Sport Integrity Bill will seek to provide for the elimination, through legislation, of corrosive and detrimental activities in sport such as competition manipulation, illegal betting in sport, fraud, corruption and doping.

Riots and violence will also be covered under the proposals..“It intends to give guidance in the management of progressive tenets in sport such as investment and intellectual property rights management.

It is also the primary purpose of this bill to lead to the establishment of a National Anti-Doping Agency, Special Investigations Unit, dispute resolution and an Arbitration Unit. It is hoped that the setting up of this bill and establishment of the aforesaid institutions will aid in the sanitisation of the sport sector and proffer it as a viable vehicle for socio-economic transformation,” said Chidhakwa.

She added that the Bill is justified because it will create a legal framework for the establishment of the Zimbabwe Anti-Doping Agency and the Special Investigations Unit.

“It will also provide for the regulation of athletes and athletes support personnel and provide for sanction of athletes and athletes support personnel in line with the prevention of and the fight against doping in sport within the framework of the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) Code with a view to its elimination.

“It will also be expected to provide for the prevention of sports related offences and the disciplinary measures and cater for dispute resolution.

It will also enable the government to come up with an institutional framework, which will assist it in administration and management of doping, the formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies, programmes and schemes of assistance to athletes and athletes support personnel.

“In the process that will allow Zimbabwe to work with other governments, regionally and internationally to combat doping, competition manipulation and corruption in sport. As if that is not enough, the proposed Bill will introduce and give guidelines to whistleblowing in sport, introduce and enforce Intellectual property management in sport and foster a clean sport environment,” said Chidhakwa.

She added that the Sport, Leisure and Recreation Bill seeks to harmonise sport law in Zimbabwe.
“The amendment will clarify roles of the Sport and Recreation commission (SRC), Zimbabwe National Boxing and Wrestling Control Board (ZNBWCB), Zimbabwe Olympic Committee (ZOC), Special Olympic and the Zimbabwe National Paralympic Committee (ZNPC).

Further, the administration of sport, leisure and recreation will be modernised in line with worldwide best practices. The amendment will also rename the Act to Zimbabwe Sport, Leisure and Recreation Act,” said Chidhakwa.

She said the Bill is justified in the sense that it will harmonise fragmented sport and recreation laws, define recreation according to the world trends and best activities that constitute sport and provide for equitable opportunities for women and persons with disabilities in sport, leisure and recreation.

Added to that, the Bill will be expected to position sport and recreation as social, cultural, political and economic tools in nation development, mainstream sport and recreation into the lifestyle of all Zimbabweans, provide parameters for a sport, leisure and recreation dispute resolution as part of a broader sport law sub-sector and create an enabling and sustainable environment for sport and recreation delivery that promotes access for all, excellence, fosters social harmony, economic development and general well-being of Zimbabweans.

President of the Senate, Mabel Chinomona emphasised that sport is essential in promoting co-existence and unity and unity among communities.

“In that respect, I welcome the proposed Sport, Leisure Recreation Bill and the Sports Integrity Bill, which I believe will create an enabling environment for excellence in sport and recreational initiatives. In striving for such excellence, the relevant Committee should ensure that the Ministry produces athletes who measure up to international standards set up by organisations such as Fifa,” said Chinomona. — @FungaiMuderere.