'We will continue to call for the lifting of these illegal sanctions' say VP Nkomo

The Government will continue to call for the scrapping of the illegal Western-imposed eco­nomic sanctions against the country because they are affecting every sector of the economy, including sport, Vice-President Nkomo has said.

Closing this year's youth games here yesterday, he said there was also a need for Government to create profitable partnerships with the private sector in all spheres of the economy as well as sport.

"I appreciate the dire constraints our Government is facing in funding its programmes. The imposition of illegal and punitive sanctions by the West has obviously exacerbated the situation. To this end, we will continue to call for the lifting of these illegal sanctions," he said.

"I therefore wish to record my heartfelt appreciation and gratitude to companies and individuals who played a part in resourcing these games."

Vice-President Nkomo said initiatives such as the youth games would continue to influence young people positively.

He said Government will actively refine the National Sports Policy to clear the way for a robust sports strategy that addresses the challenges facing local sport. "This sports strategy should provide the much-needed impetus for the enhancement of the viability of the sports industry in the country," he said.

The Vice-President also called on corporates to invest in the development of grassroots sports talent to ensure Zimbabwe becomes a sporting powerhouse. He congratulated Mashonaland Central for successfully hosting the youth games in spite of limited resources.

"I must hasten to say that the Government appreciates the worthy contributions made by all stakeholders in the 10 provinces.

"I would like to appeal to our corporate  partners to consider extending support to grassroots sporting activities such as community-based sports clubs.

"Quite often, people bemoan the lacklustre performance of our national teams, yet we do not invest adequately in the development of talent at the grassroots level.

We need to encourage and strengthen the participation of our youths at this level in order to develop the wide selection base of our teams.

"It is pertinent at this stage to note that this time around we were represented by the smallest teams ever at the Olympic Games in London. This definitely calls for us to take stock of our development strategy to come up with measures for a sustainable programme to increase our participation."