Chronicle Editor
Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
THE Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) says it will formally inform the Government on Thursday that all sports can resume in the country.
SRC chairman Gerald Mlotshwa, board members Nigel Munyati, Karen Mutasa, Titus Zvomuya and Allen Chiura, addressed a virtual press conference yesterday where they made it clear that the onus was on individual National Sports Associations (NSAs) to prove that they can financially sustain their activities without falling foul of Covid-19 health protocols.
Mlotshwa said they had written to all NSAs informing them about their latest position.
“As the SRC we feel it’s high time the country returns to full sporting activities. We hope by end of the week the sporting associations would have responded then we will approach the Minister (of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation Kirsty Coventry) and say these high risk sport codes are now ready and it’s our recommendation that they be allowed to resume. It may not necessarily be all of them, but we are looking at them holistically to say let’s deal with you at one go and we move along those lines,” said Mlotshwa.
Chiura said the proposed bio-bubble concept has now been scrapped because they realised that insisting on it would keep most sport frozen.
“We realised that the bio-bubble concept was unsustainable financially for the associations so that will no longer be the case. We will, however, still adhere to strict health protocols in terms of WHO guidelines. Testing at given intervals for the athletes and officials will still be mandatory. As SRC, we are lobbying for our athletes in the medium and high risk to be vaccinated upfront so that we can resume with confidence,” said Chiura.
Munyati said they were not in a financial position to bail out sports associations, but were hopeful that organisations such as Zifa, which received Covid-19 relief funding from Fifa, had not misappropriated the funds.
In its letter to the 29 NSAs, whose activities are deemed medium and high risk, the SRC said no sport code can perpetually remain in the medium and high risk category.
“The Sports and Recreation Commission wishes to advise that the Government, through the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation, plans to resume all sport in Zimbabwe. We believe the medium or high risk sport does not remain medium/high risk in perpetuity, but may become low risk where the degree of risk of transmission can be mitigated. The risk of transmission of Covid-19 where there is reasonable frequency of testing, vaccination and stringent protocols is low.
“The resumption of all sport shall be guided by the prevailing World Health Organisation guidelines for the prevention and containment of Covid-19. As a result, the SRC is sharing with your association proposed Standard Operating Procedure and further proposed conditions for the safe resumption of sport for your consideration. This is in addition to your own respective Covid-19 protocols as guided by your international federation,” reads the SRC letter.
Online Reporter