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Ricky Zililo Senior Sports Reporter
THE stage is set for the third edition of the Sports Leaders’ Institute of Zimbabwe (SLIZ) Winter Camp that start in Masvingo today, with 180 participants registering for the three-day symposium.

SLIZ president Russell Mhiribidi said representatives from educational institutions, colleges, universities, secondary and primary schools, as well as sports officers from government arms such as the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services and police will attend the three-day workshop.

The Sports Management Winter Camp has also drawn interest from unnamed football clubs that have a keen interest in athletes’ development.

Mhiribidi said the conference is special as delegates will get an insight into the new government policy on physical education and sport that is set to be rolled out in schools across the country next year.

“This camp is more of a continuation from the Summer Camp we held in Kariba in November. We laid the foundation for physical education and sport, introducing participants to what the government was planning to do then. The Ministry (of Primary and Secondary Education) wants to roll out the physical education and sport syllabus, which will be implemented in 2017,” said Mhiribidi.

“As SLIZ, we’re presenting participants an opportunity to appreciate the policy in a relaxed environment that is laced with professionals, some of who have a lot of experiences to share.”

SLIZ has invited guest speakers from Nigeria, Kenya, Zambia and Tanzania to share their experiences at the camp.

Top Kenyan athletics coach Edward Muema Munguti leads a cast of foreign delegates and will address a plenary session on Kenyan athletics alongside Winnie Tubey and Purity Mureithi.

Devota Marwa from Tanzania’s University of Dar es Salaam will present a paper on sports marketing, while Musunza Sombwa from the Olympic Youth Development Centre of Zambia will speak on podium athlete development (PAD).

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, is among local speakers at the camp.

Prince Edward High School headmaster Agrippa Sora and acting Sport and Recreation Commission director-general Joseph Muchechetere have also been roped in to deliver presentations at the three-day indaba.

Meanwhile, Mhiribidi said late registrations would be accepted at the venue.

“We’ve had some members asking to register here in Masvingo and we’re saying to those who missed the deadline, you’re free to make late registrations. We won’t turn away people who are interested in attending the programme, hence our decision to make contingency plans,” he said.

Registration fees for the winter camp are $365 for SLIZ members and $450 for non-members. The money will cater for accommodation, meals, workshop material, as well as SLIZ branded regalia, which includes a tracksuit, T-shirt and a cap.