The Chis Hani Sport Federation has come out gun blazing against minister of sport Nathi Mthethwa proposal to nationalize sport.
Following a stakeholder engagement session the minister held last month in Port Elizabeth, secretary of Chris Hani Sport Federation, Viwe Yawa, said there were toomany questions on what this would mean for sport in the country, provinces and regions.
“We have many concerns of how this will affect sport and the processes that will have to be created for the new system,” said Yawa
The bill, put forward by Mthethwa, proposed that all sporting bodies including clubs would fall under the purview of the minister and administered by the department of sport.
“We currently have problems like how kit funded by the department of sport is sourced outside the province. This is very problematic for us federations because we have businesses we can source from locally. It makes it even harder for us to go and ask sponsorships from these companies because there is no relationships being cultivated.”
The federation has now turned its attention to salvaging the rest of the sporting calendar which has been affected by the coronavirus lockdown.
“Dozens of international sport event have been cancelled or postponed around the world amid the outbreak. The pathogens effect has been felt across a range of the sport from athletics, rugby and golf to football, tennis and motorsport.
“The epidemic has plunged the global sporting calendar into disarray and cast a shadow over the preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. It is a test for the leaders and managers working in the industry but also athletes and participants.
“As the custodian of sport in the district we have a duty to educate sportspeople and communities about this epidemic We also have to encourage people to take sport seriously so as to promote a healthy lifestyle and deter youngsters from drug use and gangsterism,” added Yawa
He said a number of programs have been cancelled but they will be looking to adjust the calendar to see which events can still be held.
