Story by Lawrence Trusida
Zimbabwean athletes have emphasised the importance of a symbiotic relationship between sport and education to reap the rewards of the billion-dollar sports industry.
While Zimbabwe has been left behind in reaping the rewards of the billion-dollar industry, stakeholders are putting in place measures to catch up with the rest of the world, with schools being the breeding ground for talent.
The new curriculum has been identified as a handy tool for this transformative journey.
This came out during a career in sport capacity building held at Mother Touch Boarding School in Harare at the weekend.
The event was graced by sports personalities including African Boxing Union lightweight champion Aliyah Phiri, national volleyball team vice-captain Tanaka Hwara, Lady Chevrons poster-girl and African Games gold medallist Francisca Chipare and media personalities.
“Sport has been my lifeblood, I am currently at Harare Poly on scholarship and before this, I was at Churchill on scholarship so for me it is port that is sending me to school, and I am glad such workshops are being held so that people understand career paths to take from a young age,” said Hwara.
“It is important that sport is recognised as a career and from a young age, students must know this and must decide on which direction they want to take, I have a degree in Ecology but before I even finished school I was already earning as I had a contract with Zimbabwe Cricket and you can imagine the benefits,” noted Chipare.
The students were thrilled to mix and mingle with international stars.
“I love sport so much and getting to understand the various career paths one can take has helped me a lot.
“For a long time, I thought sport is just about players only but now I understand the backroom staff the qualifications needed and a lot of things one can do in the sports sector rather than just being a player,” they said.
The school is putting emphasis on sport and has already lined up exchange programmes with United States of America-based institutions.
