SRC report sparks discontent

board, which allegedly sought to cover up for the chaotic manner in which Team Zimbabwe travelled to the Zone VI Games in Swaziland last year.
The country’s Under-20 athletes were in Swaziland for the biennial SADC Games, which were held in December.
Despite being largely successful on the medals’ table, after bringing back 17 gold from an initial target of 22, they were pegged back by some administrative boobs.
It was the pathetic way in which the Sports Commission organised Team Zimbabwe’s road trips to and from Swaziland that really irked the athletes and their parents and also riled the respective managers of the teams. But as the Commission prepared to finalise a new management team for the bigger All-Africa Games in Maputo, Mozambique in September, a storm is brewing within the supreme sports body amid questions on parts of the report prepared by Team Zimbabwe’s chef de mission to Swaziland Martin Dururu. While Dururu, a Sports Commission employee, noted that lack of adequate preparations had affected the athletes’ overall showing, the chef de mission who flew to and from Mbabane, got it wrong in trying to defend the problems that characterised the road trip, which could have been avoided.
“Overally the majority of Team Zimbabwe athletes had very limited international exposure prior to the Games owing to the non-availability of financial resources and activity levels only gathered momentum a few months from the Games.
“To that end it can be argued that Team Zimbabwe athletes did not attain their best possible form for the Games and whatever results they obtained were not a true reflection of their potential and capability.
“The SRC was only able to fund the final preparatory camp convened at Prince Edward School in Harare three days prior to departure for Swaziland,” wrote Dururu.
He also told the Commission’s board of the problems that had characterised the team’s pre-Games accreditation, which resulted in athletes having to spend nights sleeping on the bus because of an outstanding US$39 000 required to enter the Games Village.
“The country fared badly where pre-games accreditation and payments were concerned. Zimbabwe did not meet key deadlines such as payment of 50 percent village fees by March 31, 2010 and accreditation of its team to the Swaziland LOC by 31 May 2010.
“Due to the above infractions, Zimbabwe incurred fines totalling US$15 000 as Team Zimbabwe was only accredited on July 30, 2010 and a portion of village fees was paid in August 2010, three months after the final deadline had lapsed”.
Dururu also made startling revelations that Zimbabwe was on the verge of being excluded from taking part in the Zone VI Games for failure to meet the payment deadlines.
“During the second CDM’s meeting in July 2010, the country was on the verge of being excluded from Games participation but eventually Zimbabwe was granted a two-week moratorium in August 2010 to settle all outstanding obligations.
“However, village fees amounting to $39 750 were still to be settled by the time Team Zimbabwe arrived in Swaziland for the Games in December 2010 thus causing the team to be barred from entering the Games Village for two days,” Dururu said.
Questions have been asked, however, on what efforts Dururu, as an advance party, then made to ensure the teenage athletes at least got food when it had been made clear to him in the CDM’s meetings that Zimbabwe would not be allowed to enter the Games Village.
Sources close to the Sports Commission also revealed that Dururu’s report is being challenged by many as it sought to somewhat absolve the supreme sports body of much of the blame and instead heaped it on the “inexperience of the team’s management committee”.
“It’s strange that the chef de mission’s report is not a true reflection of what transpired and did not take into account the comprehensive report done by the same management committee led by Fungai Zinatsa which he accuses of having been inexperienced.
“There are a lot challenges which were mainly centred on the non-availability of funds from the SRC and this meant that the management committee had to sometimes use personal resources to try and save the situation.
“From the day that the two buses left Prince Edward School for Swaziland, there was no money for food and this was only realised late in the day when the team had already gone.
“That was the start of the problems and the discontent in the Team Zimbabwe camp,” the sources said.
Whether the Commission will use the Zone VI experience to adequately prepare the All-Africa Games team remains to be seen.
But many believe that the supreme sports body would have to make a critical appraisal of the administrative shortcomings first in order to set up proper structures that will help yield medals.
Those questioning Dururu’s report also believe there should have been a no-holds-barred review meeting following the team’s return before “the chef de mission rushed to mislead the respected board members with a report that was not reflective of the situation on the ground”.