By Trevor Makonyonga
The government has allowed for sports deemed to be low risk to return amid the lockdown relaxation by the President, H.E Emmerson Mnangangwa on Monday, March 1.
This marks an end to a two month halt in sport as the government had suspended sport due to a strict lockdown regulations that was imposed to fight Covid 19.
In a statement, the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) said that the Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation will determine which sports are to be classified as low risk.
“The SRC wishes to advise that on the 3rd of March, the Government of Zimbabwe will publish a Statutory Instrument authorizing the resumption of those sports activities to be classified as low risk. The determination of what constitutes low risk sport remains the prerogative or the Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation as communicated to the relevant National Sports Association (NSA) by the SRC including the conditions to which such resumption will be subject to.
“Therefore, procedurally upon publishing of the said statutory instrument, the Minister will in the first instance notify the SRC as to which sport disciplines have been classified as low risk,” read the statement.
The SRC will communicate directly to NSAs notifying them on categorization as a low-risk sport and the conditions, if any, to which it should adhere to in resuming activity soon after the Minister announces the same. SRC said that once communication has been done to the NSA, it would no longer be necessary for the relevant NSA or sports discipline to apply afresh for resumption of activities.“
All persons seeking to engage in the categorized low risk sport must engage their respective NSA for guidance. For the avoidance of doubt, no NSA or sport discipline shall resume any activity until and unless it has received the said communication from the SRC and has confirmed receipt of the same along with the conditions stated therein.”
Some sports that were previously characterized as low risk include athletics, swimming, golf, tennis, cycling, cricket, equestrian, rowing and triathlon, among others
