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Petros Kausiyo Deputy Sports Editor—

EXPERIENCED Zimbabwe Olympic Committee medical commissioner Nicholas Munyonga has received a major vote of confidence from the Africa Zone VI Regional Anti-doping Organisation, which has re-elected him to chair the board for the next four years.The Warriors team doctor has over the last few years seen his international profile grow in leaps and in the last week, Munyonga was handed the mandate of leading Southern Africa’s battle against doping.

In an era in which many high-profile athletes have had their careers and achievements soiled by being caught on the wrong side of the doping regulations, Munyonga’s role in leading the regional body is not only key for the growth of sport in Zimbabwe but for Southern Africa.

The affable Warriors doctor, who is currently in Angola for the Region 5 Under-20 Youth Games, confirmed his re-election from Luanda yesterday and reckoned that it was testimony of the support structures that Zimbabwe had put in place to weed out doping at national level and the country’s commitment to help Africa have clean sport.

Munyonga also paid tribute to Sport and Recreation Minister Makhosini Hlongwane and ZOC president Admire Masenda for playing a starring role in helping secure his re-election onto the RADO board.

“Yes, it I have been re-elected to lead the Africa Zone VI Regional Anti-doping organisation for the next four years. It is a vote of confidence for Zimbabwe and myself in the fight against doping in Sport and I will do my best in that post.

“There has been significant support from the Minister of Sport and the ZOC president for me to achieve the re-election.

Munyonga said although more still needed to be done, he was satisfied to note that that the levels of awareness to anti-doping had been on the rise locally and regionally with ZOC chief executive Anna Mguni also helping RADO’s efforts on a national scale with some administrative work.

“It remains work in progress but our Zimbabwe Education team of Steve Mudawarima, Charity Nyamayedenga and Jonathan Ruwuya have been doing a great job on the Anti-doping Education program.

“Across the region I have been taking advantage of my position in the Africa Union Sports Council Region 5 in charge of Medical and Anti-doping services for the Youth Games to spearhead anti-doping education.

“AUSC secretariat and COSANOC have also been very supportive,’’ Munyonga said.

Munyonga said a number of countries in the Southern African region had embraced the anti-doping programs that his board had undertaken but as with many a sportsman felt more could still be done.

“The responses from member countries have been forthcoming. I was recently in Namibia and Mozambique speaking at their Anti-doping workshops a sign that there is commitment from the region.

“We want to increase the number of out of competition testing through the WADA testing grant for the region. We last week trained Lead Doping Control Officers from the 11 countries on the RADO so that they can train more DCOs in their respective countries and build capacity.

“Yes, there is always room for improvement. The implementation of the provisions of the UNESCO convention is still lagging behind in the region and we hope to push governments in the region to catch up with Europe in that area’’.

Munyonga, who is also a member of the World Anti-Doping Agency, has been rising through the ranks in the global fight against performance enhancing and to other drugs by athletes.

Just five years ago, Munyonga broke into the Supreme Council for Sport in Africa’s Zone VI Games organising committee adding to his other portfolios on WADA and the FIFA medical committee.

His role on the Zone VI Under-20 Youth Games organising committee has seen Munyonga being actively involved in the preparations for the 2012 Games in Zambia and subsequent competitions including the 2016 edition that will burst into life in Angola this weekend.

Munyonga has also been on similar crusades at the various African Games editions in Mozambique and in Congo Brazzaville.

He has also previously been to Singapore for the inaugural Youth Olympic Games where he did duty for WADA and helped carry out doping tests for the young athletes and was part of a team of seven experts that introduced a WADA programme – Play True Generation Programme