COVID-19 ‘KILLS’ TOP SPORTS ASSOCIATIONS

MBABANE – It is almost post-COVID-19 but the impact it had on sports is playing itself out to date.

A lot of lives were lost when the pandemic struck the world in late 2019, halting normal life and bringing a completely new normal, whereby the sporting industry was not spared, as it had to come a complete halt, big events like the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, Africa Cup of Nations and UEFA Champions League among others getting postponed. When some sports resumed, spectatorship was not allowed. Full-contact sports like karate and most ball games were halted including here in Eswatini by the government, only later allowing elite or organised football to return but without fans, until late last year when a limited minimum 500 and maximum 2 000 were allowed. However, it is now back to normal in as far as crowds are concerned. All sports have returned to full action with just masks and social distancing the remaining requirements where there is more than a group of five people. Sadly, the full return of sports into action even without the strict COVID-19 restrictions has not yet worked to full potential for other national sports associations including top ones for that matter in terms of achievements domestically and internationally.

The country normally has 30 government recognised and funded sports associations but after COVID-19, it has emerged that seven of these suffered and were currently making ends meet to revive their existence and also conclude annual recognition review matter, as non-recognition deprives them of any funding in the E7 724 710 sports budget allocation for the current financial year 2022/2023. At least close to E4m has been released to the ministry in the first quarter under review. This effectively means 23 national sports associations are currently recognised under the Eswatini Sports and Recreational Council (ESRC). The associations that suffered due to the pandemic are judo, karate federation, the Eswatini Golf Union (EGU), angling, dance, hockey and shooting. Of these, angling, karate federation and judo as well as the EGU are achievers internationally while dance cannot be left out as they have also had their moments. Nonetheless, their achievements count for nothing at the moment if they do not recover from the pandemic, especially judo and the karate federation, who have the task to revive dojos (clubs) that ceased existence. The latter two were given extensions to this month-end to put their houses in order.

“The following sports bodies still their annual recognition process pending. Most have cited challenges related to COVID-19 which rendered their codes inactive for prolonged periods of time, mostly in particular team sports and contact sports,” reads in part the Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs Ministry’s First Quarter Performance Report for the current financial year 2022/23. The report is still a subject for discussion at the House of Assembly with the Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs Minister Harries ‘Madze’ Bulunga set to give written responses in the august House tomorrow.

For angling, the report explains ‘engagements with current executive committee to conduct and conclude annual recognition review which is ongoing, association activities hugely affected’ while for dance it states that engagements with known members were ongoing for ‘revival of association’. The EGU ‘has formally requested extension of its annual recognition meeting pending election of a new executive committee and conclusion of a constitution review process initiated by the outgoing executive committee’. The Hockey Association was also said to be engaged with current executive committee to conduct and conclude annual recognition review while their activities were hugely affected by COVID-19.

For the Shooting Association, the report indicates that they were hugely affected by the pandemic and the prevailing political climate but there were ongoing engagements with current leadership to conduct and conclude annual recognition review. Efforts to get comments from some of the other associations proved futile as there were no immediate responses, like the Karate Federation and EGU. However, it must be noted that the first quarter report covers the period from April 2022 to June 30, 2022. While the report states that some of these associations were given up to this month to comply, a ministry official explained that any further developments if there had been changes will come out in second quarter performance report. ESRC Communications Officer Dumsani Ntiwane said the report was on point, as some associations were severely affected by the pandemic and were gradually recollecting themselves otherwise as much as they existed and operated, they ‘were as good as non-existent’ to ESRC without official recognition.

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