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Ellina Mhlanga, Harare Bureau

YOUTH, Sport, Arts and Recreation Minister Kirsty Coventry has emphasised the need for a scientific approach to sport development if the country is to get positive results at various levels of competition. 

She made the remarks yesterday at the signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry and Bindura University of Science Education for the development of the National Sport Academy and betterment of sport in the country. 

BUSE houses the National Sports Academy, which facilitates the development of identified talent with the aim of achieving international success. 

The MoU is expected to boost the development of infrastructure for a High Performance Centre, which shall serve as a hub for sports development. 

It is also set to promote research in high-performance sport development and any such research that can improve decision-making in sport as well as establishment of partnerships with international organisations and donor agencies to support joint programmes.  

“I think this is marking the first of a long road. We are hoping that with this signing, and with this first step, there will be many more good things to come between the Bindura University and the Ministry.

“Some of those things that we will, hopefully, see is not just the building of infrastructure but a relationship in which the Ministry and in which sport at national level can benefit from.

“I hope the university will provide not just a home for an environment for our athletes to flourish but, from a scientific and research purpose as a country, we really need to look at our sport from a scientific approach in terms of what, as a country, we should be focusing on,” Coventry said.

The Minister said this partnership is going to also assist in identifying the sport codes the country should be focusing on depending on how consistent they have been over the years. 

She said she has already started focusing on that and is working on a national strategy together with the Sports Commission.

“As a country, and through Sports and Recreation Commission and through the DG (director-general) and the board, we are working on a national sport strategy.

‘‘We have already received many 10-year-strategic plans from our NAs (national associations) that’s a requirement as we move forward. 

“We want to be purpose-driven in all areas and purpose-driven in this relationship will be a two-way street. 

‘‘Purpose-driven in what our expectations are as a Ministry of this working relationship with Bindura but also to know each other’s roles and responsibilities. We are very excited about the future that this MoU has for us,” Coventry said. 

In terms of infrastructure development at the academy, Coventry said they were taking some lessons from the past.

“I also want to give recognition that, in the past, we have had other events that have happened like 1995 All-Africa Games where there was very good infrastructure built. 

‘‘There was very good infrastructure built at the University of Zimbabwe and now the University of Zimbabwe charges us a lot as the sporting community to use those facilities for which we actually paid. 

“So, going forward, we have had very good conversations with the Vice Chancellor of Bindura and the board that if there is money coming for these different sporting infrastructures, we as national sports federations, or as a representative of national sport federations, we want access to that. 

‘‘We want access to our sports facilities for our national teams free of charge, and for national associations at discounted rates,” Coventry said. 

BUSE Vice Chancellor, Professor Eddie Mwenje, said they were delighted with the development and pledged the university’s support to help the country turn around its fortunes in sport.  

“We are aware of the immense talent that is present in Zimbabwe that would go to waste unless good infrastructure and, unless the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation, work together with academic institutions.

“We are also realising the Ministry’s strategy and thrust to ensure that there is research in our sports and we are excited that the research that we can do can actually find immediate application because the Ministry has actually put it down in writing,’’ said Mwenje. 

The signing ceremony was also attended by chief director in the Ministry Benson Dube, Eugenia Chidhakwa, who is also director in the Ministry, National Sports Academy director Titus Zvomuya and Sports Commission director-general Prince Mupazviriho, among others.