Zimpapers Logo

Bernard Gwarada Correspondent

The sports sector has a pervasive influence in the lives of people either directly or indirectly.

In my previous article, I focused on football as a potential source of economic dividends, not only to the individual participants, but to the nation as a whole.

However, if justice is to be done to this important area, it is critical that the potential economic value of sport be looked at holistically.

This will enable stakeholders and decision-makers to focus on sport as a source of income generation and associated benefits such as putting Zimbabwe on the global map and positioning the country to benefit from sports tourism.

It may be asked, how Zimbabwe fares in terms of treating sports across the board as a potential source of economic rejuvenation. The answer to this question will emerge around a discussion of the areas listed below.

Sports value

It is heartening to note that the Government adopted a national Sports and Recreation Policy in August 2016 which was inclusive in its orientation and acknowledged the importance of sport as a mega business.

The policy acknowledged that the world sporting industry was worth US$620 billion in 2016.

This implied that as a country we had to put in place measures to ensure that we also benefited from this amount.

This policy was to be reviewed after five years. However, three years down the line, it cannot be said to be unfair if one was to ask how much progress sport has made in terms of benefiting from the US$620 billion industry?

Minister Kirsty Coventry

In Zimbabwe and when national teams (of various disciplines) are playing, the stadiums are usually packed to full capacity, thus giving the impression of a thriving sector.

In this sense, sport may be said to be thriving and yet the missing ingredient is that it is yet to realise its full potential as a significant player in the country’s development plans and as a contributor to GDP.

A key problem with the aforementioned sports policy is that, no monetary targets were put in place to aim at so that after the five-year review period, one could assess in an objective way whether or not the set targets had been met. There is also need to put a value on Government’s investment in sport and the expected return in monetary value.

For instance, research reveals that in Ireland for every €100 the government invests in Irish sport, the sports industry creates up to €195 in tax revenue.

Policy

Policy is an important variable in the activities of an organisation or country. This is because it provides guidance and direction as to what may need to be done for set goals to be achieved. In 2018, the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation contributed 6,9 percent to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The problem is that this ministry is made up of four arms and the specific contribution of sport is buried in the global contribution of this creative and cultural industry.

Given that sport has become a mega business worldwide, and Zimbabwe wants a share of this cake, it is vital that the contribution of sport to the GDP be clearly spelt out as a matter of policy so that it becomes a basis for decision-making.

An important cornerstone of the sports and recreation policy seeks to ensure that the country has representations in various international sports bodies.

For example, Mr Tommy Sithole has been a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and has represented the international sports community at the United Nations as director and deputy representative at IOC Observer Mission to the United Nations in New York. He was also secretary-general of the Association of National Olympic Committee of Africa.

Dr Philip Chiyangwa is the current Cosafa president. The current Minister of Sports Kirsty Coventry is former Olympic swimmer, a world record holder and the most decorated Olympian from Africa.

Top Zimbabwean match official Felix Tangawarima sits on the Confederation of African Football’s referees committee. The above sportspersons, through their various assignments, raise the profile of the country and generate interest from potential investors and tourists who visit the country.

Felix Tangawarima

A case in point is when Dr Chiyangwa invited UEFA president Mr Aleksander Caferin to Zimbabwe in January 2020. The UEFA president reportedly pledged to use his links to promote Zimbabwe as an investment destination.

Governance

Sound governance is an important precondition for the success of any institution, including those in the sports industry.

The area of governance has been one of grave concern in the sports industry in general.

For example, Cricket in Zimbabwe is currently on a resurgence following years of wrangles and allegations of maladministration.

Zimbabwe cricket has a glorious past which the current administration is seeking to redeem. It must be stressed that allegations and counter allegations of maladministration are not good for the sports industry as this often leads to withdrawal of sponsorship which sports organisations need.

In conclusion, sport is an important component of the socio-economic development of a country. It is regrettable that data on the economic value of sports as an industry in Zimbabwe is not available. Such data can assist both the Government and investors to make strategic decisions.

Bernard Gwarada is a research candidate in International Business at University of Pretoria’s GIBS Business School. He is a co-owner of former Premier League club, Douglas Warriors FC and a former ZIFA board member. He writes in his own capacity.  Feedback: [email protected]