Dear Editor,
RECREATION and sporting activities have mostly been said to be a hobbie considered as activities to be done during one’s free time or an undertaking for the perceived low class citizens in society.
The Patriotic Front government has taken sports as the alter- native which if exploited positively, will not just be the source of physical health, but would create the opportunities for economic participation by the persons who may have taken recreation as their free time hobby.
A closer look at the Patriotic Front journey clearly demonstrate the reformation on how sports is perceived and how it has been the income earning activity and provided hope to create more jobs.
So far, the PF Government has constructed the National Youth Development Centre and also overseen the construction of Heroes Stadium. These sporting infrastructure have created an opportunity for the informal sector due to the increasing demands for the goods and services required during sporting activities.
There are also other policies in decentralising sports-related activities and so far the constituency offices have been used as agents for the distribution of sports equipment.
This has created opportunities for the talented people in all the 10 provinces to participate in politics and also exploit the commercial aspect of it.
The journey toward utilising sports and recreation has been among to-do list for the PF Government. Going forward, football will no longer be synonymous with the name sports, as the government intends to invest in all sports disciplines.
One of the notable immediate measures will be to embark on the rehabilitation of sports infrastructure and recreation halls and rural areas will be among the receipients of this gesture.
The government will utilise the availability of facilities such as the Multifacility Economic Zones and enhance the manufacturing of sports equipment and attire.
There will also be a deliberate measure to decentralise key facili- ties such as the National Youth Development Centre (NYDC) in all provinces and progressively to districts as one of the ways of diversifying the sporting activities.
For those intending to set up sporting academies, this gesture will facilitate their participation.
As regards training of coaches, the government will in the medium term establish, the School of Sports at the University of Zambia which will provide for the specialised trainings. The School of Sports will also work with international and local sporting institutions with the view to building capacity and skills development among the coaches, instructors and promoters.
In the long term, the government will constitute a technical team to look at the modalities of establishing the Sports University. Once operationalised, the Sports University in Zambia will be the first of its kind in Africa and this will made Zambia a destination to those who wish to take Sports Administration as a professional career.
The government also intend to utilise the institutions of State such as local authorities to enhance sports participation.
Above all, the entrepreneurs will be at the receiving end as the in- vestment in sports will create business opportunities and also help the government in creating more jobs.
MARVIN CHANDA MBERI, Kanchibiya.
