Harare (New Ziana) – The Zimbabwe government is pursuing various initiatives to end funding challenges in the local sports industry, a Cabinet Minister has said.

Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation Minister Kirsty Coventry said limited investment in sport was mainly affecting minority sports such as boxing.

“I am aware of the various challenges affecting local sport in general and boxing in particular. Chief among the issues is the under-funding and limited investment in the sector,” she said.

“Let me impress upon the fact that my Ministry is making frantic efforts to make sure that we empower the institutions which are responsible for sport development in order to improve their capacities.”

Coventry said legislative reforms were also being pursued to ensure that the sports sector was governed with legislation which was in sync with the latest trends and modern challenges.

Meanwhile, Coventry congratulated boxer, Brendon “Boika” Denes who recently won the World Boxing Organisation Africa welterweight belt.

She said Boika had defied the odds by defeating his fancied opponent, a Namibian who boasted an undefeated record prior to the match.

“I am reliably informed that this victory puts him in the world’s top 40 in the welterweight category,” she said.

Coventry also congratulated sports administrator, Eugenia Chidhakwa who was recently elected as the chairperson of the Sport Development and Technical Committee for the African Union Sports Council.

She said Chidhakwa’s election was recognition of her enthusiasm in sports development in the country and beyond.

New Ziana