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Grace Chingoma-Senior Sports Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Olympic Committee have explained the roles which every official, who will be travelling with Team Zimbabwe, are going to play in Japan.
Team Zimbabwe have a delegation of 18 people — five athletes and 13 officials.
There has been intense criticism, on social media, as to why there should be more than double the number of athletes, on tour.
The country last won a medal, at the Olympic Games, through swimming icon Kirsty Coventry, at the 2008 showcase, in Beijing, China.
However, ZOC chief executive, Stephen Mudawarima, yesterday explained how the Olympics travelling list, to the Tokyo Games, was complied.
“Team Zimbabwe is made up of five athletes, and the eight athlete support personnel (officials), total 13,” said Mudawarima.
Zimbabwe will participate in four sporting codes at the Olympics — athletics, swimming, rowing and golf.
Swimmers Donata Katai, and Peter Wetzlar, will be accompanied by their coach Lindsy Tudor-Cole, while sprinter Ngoni Makusha, will be under the guidance of Lisimati Phakamile.
Rower Peter Purcell-Gilpin, and his coach James Alexander Stephenson, complete the rowing slots.
Golfer Scott Vincent, caddy Kesley Anne Vincent and coach/team leader, Mufaro Chivonivoni, comes in for golf.
There are additional personnel in Chef de Mission Fredreck Ndlovu, physiotherapist, Abigail Mnikwa, who will also double as Covid-19, liaison officer.
There is also Memory Pakati, who will be responsible, for team administration.
“The Government delegation is travelling under the National Olympic Committee transferable guests accreditation,” said Mudawarima.
“The IOC approved accreditation guidelines allow NOCs to invite key stakeholders to the Games.
“Transferable means they will all not be there at the same time but one after the other.
“The invited guests are the chairman of the Sports Commission and the chairman of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation.
“These are key positions, which have a serious bearing on the trajectory of our sport.
“The Olympic Games provide the biggest opportunity, and exposure, to observe best practise and world class standards.
“Team Zimbabwe, in its travelling entourage to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, has included in its delegation, the chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio on Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation Committee, Honourable (Mathias) Tongofa.
“The inclusion of the Portfolio Committee Chairperson stemmed from the realisation of the need to expose our legislative support systems to high-performance sport, and its standard requirements, which have been perennially underestimated, in terms of budgetary support.
“It also emanates from the need for experiential learning by way of participation for informed guidance and legislative support of sport development and promotion.
“The Sports Commission’s mandate includes the promotion of the highest standards of sportsmanship and to advise the Government of the needs of sport and recreation.”
He said they were also looking into the future.
“In hope of a shift, in the overall support of National Sport Associations as well as transformation of the sector into a viable industry, the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee has accredited the chairperson of the Sports and Recreation Commission, as part of the NOC guests, to represent the country in Tokyo.
“The deliberate inclusion of the SRC chair, to the world’s biggest multi-sport event, takes into cognisance that the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Exposure will be a meeting place of more than 200 National Olympic Committees as well as 33 different International Federations.
“The travelling party would, therefore, likely to stimulate sports development through emulation of the experiences, and interactions, provided in the games programme and beyond.
“The Government delegation also provides the direct link with our Embassy in Tokyo as they perform their diplomacy and political functions,” said Mudawarima.
He said ZOC president, Thabani Gonye, and himself, were not included as part of Team Zimbabwe.
“The NOC president and secretary-general for all NOCs, under the IOC, attend the Olympic Games as the NOC delegation, notwithstanding athlete participation at the Games and are, thus, not included in the overall team computations,” he said.
Online Reporter