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THE Zimbabwe Olympic Committee will next month run anti-doping workshops at their headquarters as they step up efforts to promote the prevention and fight against doping in sport.
Zimbabwe last year successfully applied for and was granted funding to run an anti-doping education and awareness campaign in Zimbabwe through the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation Fund for Elimination of Doping in Sport.
This campaign will be undertaken within the framework of the International Convention against Doping in Sports and according to the principles of the World Anti-Doping Code, using targeted financial resources, to support the global objective to promote the prevention of and the fight against doping in sport, with a view to its elimination.
The fund is allocated to assist member state parties to develop and implement anti-doping programmes.
In accordance with the Convention guidelines, members are expected to undertake anti-doping activities at the national level, foster international cooperation, enhance education and training and promote research.
The Ministry of Sport, Arts and Culture mandated ZOC as current custodians of all national anti-doping activities to ensure the effective implementation and delivery of this project.
This responsibility will, in future, be taken up by the National Anti-Doping Organisation, which is still at its formative stage.
The workshops are slated for February 6 and 7 and 19 to 20.
The first session is targeting personnel identified from the 30 National Sports Associations affiliated to ZOC. Each affiliated association is expected to dedicate one person who will be the focal point for all anti-doping initiatives.
The second workshop will target Provincial Education Officers.
Both groups will undergo a train the trainers’ format of instruction based on the World Anti-Doping Agency Programme Officers Tool Kit.
According to a statement from ZOC, the workshops are expected to empower participants with information so that they can organise their own sessions in their respective areas.
“It is expected that workshop participants, once empowered, will organise education sessions to impact their respective stakeholders in schools, clubs, communities, districts and provinces.
“Participants will also be expected to focus on delivering anti – doping education to athletes targeting to compete at the 2015 National Youth Games,” reads part of the statement.
Last year, Zimbabwe held an awareness and education programme held from December 4 to 14 at the African Union Sports Council Region 5 Under-20 Youth Games held in Bulawayo using the funding from the grant.
Some of the presenters at the workshop include Nicholas Munyonga, who is the Regional Anti-Doping Organisation board vice-chairman.
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