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Ellina Mhlanga Sports Reporter
THE Ministry of Sport, Arts and Culture, in conjunction with the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee, are taking their efforts to promote anti-doping awareness to another level after securing a $19 000 grant from unesco. They successfully applied for, and secured a $19 000 grant from unesco, to undertake anti-doping education and awareness activities.

The programme is funded under the International Convention against Doping in Sport adopted by unesco on October 25, 2005.
Within the framework of the International Convention Against Doping in Sport and according to the principles of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code, a major education campaign will be implemented which aims at raising awareness of the core elements of anti-doping.

These include the rights and obligations of athletes, awareness with regards to prohibited substances and methods, the dangers and consequences associated with their use and the doping control procedures and risks.

The programme will be implemented through ZOC, who are the current custodians of national anti-doping activities as defined by WADA. The programme aims at training a minimum of 50 education and awareness officers to cover sport disciplines throughout the 10 provinces of Zimbabwe.

It will also target athletes and officials participating at the 2014 African Union Sports Council Region Five Under-20 Games as well as those who will participate in major games in 2015 – the Zimbabwe National Youth Games and the 2015 Africa Games.

There will be ongoing national educational workshops as well as train the trainers’ initiatives during the programme’s implementation phase.
ZOC chief executive, Anna Mguni, said the programme would complement the existing programmes and awareness campaigns.

“We have started to put plans underway, we are going to have anti-doping education at the Region Five Games.
“It’s not like we are starting something new, we have always been involved in anti-doping but it’s the first time Zimbabwe has secured this funding.

“So we will be basically accelerating and heightening it at the Games. It’s complementary to what we have been doing but the programme in itself is something we have never done before so it’s very critical,” said Mguni.