Innocent Kurira, [email protected]
ZIMBABWE must make a fundamental shift in the way it approaches the business of sport and begin treating the sector as a commercial enterprise capable of contributing significantly to the national economy, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga said yesterday.
In a speech read on his behalf at the official opening of the inaugural Kuzana Sport and Creative Economy Expo in Bulawayo by Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture Minister Lt-Gen (Rtd) Anselem Nhamo Sanyatwe, the VP said the country could no longer afford to view sport simply as recreation.
“We now require a fundamental shift in the way we do things in our sporting business. Sport must no longer be seen just as a pastime or recreational activity. Sport should take its rightful position as a commercial enterprise, an economic asset and a strategic national industry,” he said.
His message set the tone for the Sport Industry Conference, which is running as part of the five-day Kuzana Sport and Creative Economy Expo at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair Grounds.
VP Chiwenga said the future of sport had to be viewed within the broader national economic development agenda, with the sector capable of creating employment, attracting investment and driving tourism and enterprise growth.
“The future of sport in the country must not be approached merely as a matter of recreation, but as an important component of our national economic development agenda,” he said.
“This Expo provides an important platform for a strategic alignment between sports and the creative arts industry.”
He said the Expo sent a clear message that Zimbabwe was ready to reposition sport as a serious economic sector capable of contributing to the country’s National Development Strategy 2 and Vision 2030.
The challenge now is to build the structures that ensure the money generated by sport creates lasting value for athletes, businesses and communities.
In a speech read on his behalf by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture Nicholas Moyo, Minister Sanyatwe called for mechanisms to protect athletes’ wealth and ensure earnings generated during short sporting careers can become lasting financial assets.
“We need structures that protect players’ wealth. Formalise intellectual property and transform temporary earnings into permanent financial assets,” he said.
The minister also challenged the country to find ways of making the booming sports betting industry contribute directly to the development of sport.
“Rather than treating the booming sports betting industry as strictly consumer activity, we must leverage regulatory policies to channel revenue from the billion-dollar industry directly into grassroots infrastructure and national development for athletes in order to achieve meaningful pathways,” he said.
The calls underline the scale of the opportunity around sport, from intellectual property and sponsorship to broadcasting, sports tourism, merchandising, infrastructure and athlete development.
For Bulawayo, the conversation carries added significance because of the city’s long sporting tradition.
Minister of State for Bulawayo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Judith Ncube said the city’s sporting heritage could provide a strong foundation for it to play a bigger role in Zimbabwe’s emerging sports economy.
“This is the birthplace of Highlanders FC, one of the oldest and most passionately supported football institutions in Africa. It is the home of the iconic Barbourfields Stadium, the legendary tennis courts that raised the world-renowned tennis players Byron and Cara Black, and a breeding ground for generational talents in rugby, cricket and athletics,” said Ncube.
She said Bulawayo’s history demonstrated that sport was deeply connected to the city’s culture, identity and community spirit.
With the Kuzana Expo bringing together Government, the private sector, sporting organisations, athletes, investors and creatives, the focus is now firmly on what can be built around Zimbabwe’s sporting talent and passion.
The five-day event features conferences, exhibitions, a marathon, music festival, boxing and a Highlanders-Dynamos football spectacle, providing a practical demonstration of the industries that can grow around sport. The message coming out of Kuzana is therefore bigger than the games themselves.
Zimbabwe has the talent, the following and the sporting heritage. The next step is turning that into an industry.
