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Takudzwa Chitsiga Sports Reporter
A HIGH-PROFILE indaba to empower Women in Sport is on the cards, with the Sport and Recreation Commission joining hands with Bindura University of Science Education to arrange the Women’s Sport conference.

The conference is scheduled for September 15 in Harare.

Sport and Recreation Minister Makhosini Hlongwane will be the guest of honour at the event headlined by Olympian and Zimbabwe Olympic Committee vice-president Kirsty Coventry.

One of the conference organisers and Bindura University’s National Sports Academy director Titus Zvomuya said the indaba would provide a platform for women in sport to share ideas and experiences.

“The conference will run under the theme ‘Empowering Women through Sport and Recreation’ and is targeted at women sport leaders from national sport associations, colleges, universities, uniformed services, the media, Government departments, parastatals, the business community and other sport and recreation delivery agents.

“Several topics will be discussed with Anna Mguni covering benefits of sports and recreation and narrowing the discriminatory gap for women and sport as a career— opportunities and challenges for women.

“Acting town clerk for the City of Harare Josephine Ncube will discuss the role of local authorities in promoting Women in Sport as well as sport and legal issues,” said Zvomuya.

The conference, a rare event for women in sport, has also drawn a cast of presenters with diverse business and sporting experiences.

Apart from Coventry, Ncube and ZOC chief executive Mguni, the conference participants will also hear from veteran sports medicine specialist Debbie Jeans who is also a former president of the Judo Association of Zimbabwe.

The director, Sport Promotion and development in the Ministry of Sport and Recreation, Eugenia Chidhakwa, who has been very passionate about women empowerment and participation in sport, is also among the cast of presenters.

Old Mutual regional marketing executive Lillian Mbayiwa will also be part of the show.

While women sport may have largely remained marginalised in this country, it is ironic that the only team sports to have represented Zimbabwe at the Olympics were women’s sides.

The famed Hockey Golden Girls returned with gold from the Moscow Games in 1980 and the Mighty Warriors defied odds to secure a place at the Rio Olympics in 2016.

One of the presenters — broadcaster Merit Munzwembiri — was the ZOC press attaché at the Rio Games.