By Ziyah News Editor
Zimbabwe’s former Olympic Champion and current Minister of Sport, Kirsty Coventry’s announcement as one of the seven candidates vying for one of the biggest posts in the world of sport, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) presidency, has been greeted with excitement not only in Zimbabwe but the rest of the African country.
Not only is Coventry the lone female on the list of candidates but is seeking to be the first female in the 130 year history of IOC and the only African to do so. The double Olympic gold medalist has already been sitting on the IOC committee and her candidature has already broken the being the first records in the African context and should be celebrated. She is also the first woman candidate since 2001
That she has been with the IOC committee and is in her second term as a Government Minister in charge of sport speaks volume of her capabilities. She is bringing both administrative and athlete experience to the table and her candidature deserves the support of every patriotic Zimbabwean despite some people’s misgivings about her performance as the Minister in charge of sport in the country.
It is understandable that sport by its nature is an emotional discipline and fans and athletes themselves invest financial and emotional capital into it. Fans, of especially football in the country have been on the throat of Minister Coventry accusing her of being a lame duck that is not pushing enough in Cabinet for the cause of the number one sport in the country. The issue of the country’s stadium ban that has seen the national football team the, Zimbabwe Warriors and CAF club competition representatives playing home matches away from the country has been particularly emotive.
That the Minister has given promises and declarations of dates for the finishing of the refurbishment of the National Sports stadium which have not been met has not helped matters but as fans, it is prudent to understand no matter how much the Minister may want things to go the way of her portfolio, ultimately the buck doesn’t stop with her.
She is not responsible for resource allocation, all she can do is lobby. It is no secret that the country’s infrastructure development backlog is so huge against the available resources. Recently, the Minister of Finance Mthuli Ncube told parliament that the refurbishment of the National sports Stadium had received a mere US$ 3.8 million of the required 25.4 million to complete the works there. That speaks volume and explains why the Minister of Sport in her capacity cannot take the fans’ stick alone, it’s clear her hands are tied.
It is the country’s treatment of the sporting industry that needs a relook. Our investment into sport as a nation requires revamping for the industry to realise its full potential. For now, let’s revel into the candidature of Minister Coventry for the IOC presidency for it is a historic moment for the country.