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Ellina Mhlanga, Harare Bureau
THE Zimbabwe Olympic Committee have said there is need to take sport to a level where the country can compete for medals at international events instead of just making the numbers.

The remarks were made by ZOC president Admire Masenda when he led his board to pay a courtesy call on the Minister of Sport, Arts and Recreation Kazembe Kazembe at his offices in Harare yesterday.

ZOC took the opportunity to appraise the minister on various issues including the National Olympics’ structure and major events lined up for this year — the African Youth Games scheduled for July in Algiers, Algeria, and the Youth Olympic Games set for October in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

For most of the sporting disciplines, the continental Games in Algiers are serving as the qualifier to the YOG in Argentina. And most of the young aspiring athletes are busy working on qualification to the Games.

Masenda said with the upcoming Games in mind, it’s important to have the athletes adequately prepared so that they don’t just participate but are able to represent the country competitively.

“The key is to ensure that our athletes going to the Africa Youth Games and the Youth Olympic Games prepare adequately. The biggest issue is we should move away from just participation.

“If we are going to a competition then we are going to compete and for us it’s a key issue… We have some resources which are limited, which we will put into the various sporting disciplines to try and ensure that the athletes prepare adequately for participation in the Games.

“And for us that’s a priority,” said Masenda.

ZOC also highlighted the importance of Zimbabwe re-joining the Commonwealth Games which Masenda described as a bridge to the Olympic Games with the process starting at national level, then the African Games, building up to the Commonwealth Games and then the Olympic Games.

“So that progression was very helpful because the gap between the All-Africa Games and the Olympics is very huge. So in-between the only fillers are usually your world championships and so on… But the Commonwealth Games for us as a country was a good bridge in going to the Olympic Games or preparing us,” said Masenda.

Zimbabwe voluntarily withdrew from the international multi-sport event involving over 50 Commonwealth Nations in 2003 following a fallout with the organisation.

But with President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Government exploring possibilities of re-engagement with the international community, Kazembe last month told The Herald that the new dispensation opened doors for negotiations and possible return to the Commonwealth Games.

Kazembe yesterday said his Ministry would follow the Government’s policy on the Commonwealth issue but revealed that  there are developments going on.

“It’s in the process, we are actually working towards that. I can’t really give a timeline because like I told you our programme or our efforts for re-engagements actually follow the Government policy and also the Government efforts.

“So as a Ministry we follow behind but there are a lot of things that are taking place at the moment in as far as re-engagement is concerned at that level. So as a Ministry as well, we will try and plan along those lines.

“But what I can assure you is definitely those plans are there, the re-engagement plans because we can’t be in isolation forever, it doesn’t help anybody. If we are to compete with the rest of the world, we have to engage with the rest of the world. We have to be involved with the rest of the world,” said Kazembe.

ZOC also had the opportunity to highlight some of the challenges hindering the progress of sport in the country with issues such as infrastructure development coming out.

Kazembe said infrastructure development is one of the top priority areas the Ministry is focusing on to make it possible for sport to reach better levels.

The Minister said there is a need to develop sport into a big industry as has been happening the world over.

Masenda was accompanied by ZOC chief executive Anna Mguni, board members Addison Chiware, Stephen Mudawarima, Frederick Ndlovu and Abel Chimukoko, who leads the Athletes Commission.