Ricky Zililo in Masvingo
SPORTS Leaders Institute of Zimbabwe (SLIZ) director Russell Mhiribidi has been appointed chairman of the African Sports Management Association (ASMA) Southern Region chapter.

Mhiribidi will be responsible for organising training programmes for sports administrators in Southern Africa.

Top Kenyan athletics coach Edward Muema Munguti, who attended the third edition of the SLIZ Winter Camp in Masvingo at the weekend, announced Mhiribidi’s appointment.

“I’ve been delegated by ASMA to come and deliver Mhiribidi’s letter of appointment as the head of the Southern Region. After seeing the work he is doing to promote sport management in Zimbabwe, it was agreed at last month’s ASMA conference held in Nigeria that Mhiribidi leads Southern Africa. It is our hope that he will be a game changer in the region,” said Munguti.

Munguti, who also addressed a plenary session on Kenyan athletics alongside Winnie Tubey and Purity Mureithi, praised SLIZ for working hand in hand with the government to equip sports leaders.

“It’s pleasing to note that Zimbabwe is taking an initiative to develop talent at an early stage through the introduction of physical education and sport as a syllabus. What SLIZ is doing to train teachers in sports management is commendable and will go a long way in terms of complementing the programme that government will be rolling out next year,” he said.

The camp, which ended yesterday, attracted 186 participants drawn from the country’s 10 provinces, as well as a number of foreign delegates.

Devota Marwa from the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania was also impressed with the introduction of physical education and sport as a subject while making his presentation in sports marketing.

“I’m impressed to see that Zimbabwe is investing at grassroots levels unlike in Tanzania where too many resources are channelled to the senior level. When I go back home I’ll recommend that we follow what you’re doing in Zimbabwe. If you stick to your way of doing things, I’m certain that you’ll reap rewards of your work and even attract sponsorship. What is key is establishing a brand that is able to entice the corporate world,” said Marwa.

Other speakers at the three-day symposium were Musunza Sombwa from the Olympic Youth Development Centre of Zambia, who spoke about podium athlete development (PAD) and former Dynamos left-back Stanley Chirambadare, who tackled age-cheating.

The deputy director of schools’ sport, physical education, arts and culture in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education Tendai Tagara, who is also the National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe president, addressed a plenary session on physical education and sports curriculum.

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