GABORONE, November 10 (ANA) – A long-term approach in terms of talent identification and development, allied to the latest advances in sports science and technology, is the way to bring out the best in sports performances in Southern Africa.
This is according to Botswana President, Lieutenant General Dr Seretse Khama Ian Khama, at the opening of the African Union Sport Council (AUSC) Region V Council of Ministers meeting at Gaborone International Convention Centre (GICC) on Friday.
The AUSC Region V comprises ten members states – Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Khama called for member states to set high standards for themselves in an environment of collaboration and shared leadership, leveraging the strength of their various organisations for national development.
“We need a long-term approach for talent identification and development, underpinned by an appreciation of the latest advances in sport science and technology,” he said.
Khama said sport organisations in AUSC Region V should foster mutually beneficial relationships with sport professionals at various institutions.
“Quite often, we tend to consult foreign experts, even when we have eminently trained and qualified professionals in our midst,” Khama said.
He said that while he appreciated the exchange of ideas and experiences with foreign experts was a healthy development, “nonetheless, we should, first and foremost, strive to utilise the expertise we have in our region first”.
The Botswana head of State added he is confident that local sport experts can help make quantum leaps in improving performances on the field of play but cautioned against playing unfairly, singling out the threat of banned substances which he said could reverse any gains made.
Khama urged the council of ministers to come up with solid recommendations to be tabled at the relevant SADC Summit to stimulate socio-economic development for member states through sport.
Chairperson of the Council of Ministers, Ana Paula Da Silva, who is also the minister of sport for Angola, said AUSC Region V has made ambitious plans to transform sport and unlock its latent commercial value for the good of the youth of the region.
She said the body had established programmes such as Regional Annual Sports Awards, Regional Marathon, The Sports Education and Accreditation Systems, Women Leadership Programme, Sport for People with Disabilities Programme, as well as the Podium Performance Programme and the Region V Youth Games that Botswana would be hosting in 2018.
“It is our hope and wishes that sport receives heightened attention by SADC as our regional economic community. It is sad that the SADC Protocol on Information Culture and Sport has since been de-prioritised by SADC. To us, this is unfortunate, especially at a time like this when the majority of the 177 million people of this region are young people,” Da Silva said.
She argued that sport should be part of the agenda of the SADC Summit so that heads of state get to receive updates on the development of the region through sport.
– African News Agency (ANA)
