Government has reiterated its commitment to assisting athletes in their quest for international and domestic glory but also underscored the need for them to be fully compliant with the national sport regulations to access the help.
This comes as the Government has been inundated with pleas for help from individuals seeking to participate in various competitions.
There has also been a tendency by some athletes to rush to accuse the government, through the Ministry of Sport, Arts and Recreation and the Sports and Recreation (SRC) of neglecting when, in fact, they would not follow laid down procedures for assistance to be rendered to them.
In the latest incident, power-lifter Chido Maenzanise has been appealing for assistance ahead of her upcoming international competitions.
Maenzanise was last week back in the news media seeking assistance again, this time to travel to South Africa for a continental event.
The power-lifter is said to have also missed out on taking the stage at Zambia's Strongest Competition last weekend, also due to a lack of funding.
She is now preparing for the African competition to be held in Rustenburg, South Africa, in November.
Earlier in the year, she also sought out funding for an international event in the United States of America.
She was looking for US$5 000 for her trip.
In April Maenzanise launched a media appeal in which she was trying to raise US$1 500 to compete in Cape Town, South Africa. It is against this background that the government through the SRC yesterday explained the procedures that athletes need to follow when seeking help.
Sports Commission have been helping athletes both at home and in the diaspora in several ways that include securing financial assistance and also visa applications and processes, clearance of imported sports equipment, immigration, and acquisition of passports.
The sports regulatory body also emphasised the need for athletes to be registered by their respective national associations for easy access to the support systems put in place by the government.
"The Sports and Recreation Commission, (SRC), takes note of the article published in the Herald on 29 August 2024, headlined "Maenzanise seeks sponsorship" highlighting Ms. Maenzanise's appeal for sponsorship given her forthcoming competitions.
"Ms. Maenzanise is a Zimbabwean power-lifter and is the current gold medallist for the strongest woman in Zimbabwe.
"In seeking financial assistance, athletes shall, at first instance approach their National Sporting Association, (NSA), for assistance in formalising their requests to the SRC," read part of the SRC statement.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
"The NSA must be registered and compliant with the SRC in terms of section 29 of the SRC Act (Chapter 25:15).
"The registered NSA will, on behalf of the athlete, make the relevant representations to SRC guided by the regulations and procedures for funding requests in line with section 28 of statutory instrument 342 of 1995.
"SRC for its part will in turn weigh the merits of the request before formally engaging the Ministry of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture with the submissions for further review and approval.
"In this regard, the SRC calls on athletes to rationalise their affiliation with national sporting associations to access applicable benefits under section 19 of the SRC Act".
The SRC stance also means that if one is a footballer, he must be registered with ZIFA and similarly cricketers are on the books of Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC), track and field athletes with the National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe (NAAZ), and tennis players at Tennis Zimbabwe (TZ) netballers lodged with Zimbabwe Netball Association (ZINA).
"The NSA is the competent body to validate the level of competition which each individual or group of athletes are to take part in and that is why the athletes need to be registered with their respective associations.
"There is always a need to follow proper procedures for accountability, for the country's image, and for proper clearance to be issued when athletes are traveling out of the country," the SRC added.
