How lack of transparency & corruption in African sport is affecting youths?
Edited by: Arnold Mutamiri
Sport development of youths is now clouded with a dark phase of corruption and athletes are left without anything in the pocket while scouters and administrators are benefitting. A number of young athletes are lamenting over the treatment they are getting world over. Corruption in sport may result in earning money with twisting the outcome of sport contests by ways or means of bribing and tossing a game for money.
Today, corrupt sport has protracted to other immoral behaviors such as match fixing and betting. Sportsmen are affected in their careers through these corrupt acts by administrators and policy makers in sports governing boards. Corruption is affecting those in the grassroots as they are not getting anything even food on their tables. These are some of the reasons why athletes may end up not taking sport as a career but a social thing burying the talent.
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African young athletes are living in extreme poverty because they are not developing at all through the corrupt acts. Sportsmen are at times signed for less yet they are worth a million dollars. Where is the other money going? Who is benefitting more than the sportsmen? Are we developing anything by immoral behaviours we have towards sports?
Genuine people can answer such questions but corrupt people will pass through the questions unanswered. Athletes are the CEOs of their talent and must employ their managers or advisory council without fear and favour. Before employing anyone for any post, athletes should do background research to find out if the person employed is worth being part of the team. Apart from the sports administrators being saboteurs to sport, sports journalism is also affecting athletes in a corrupt way of reporting.
Reporters are bribed to tell a bad story in a way to demoralise good and threatening athletes on the rise to fame. Sports awards are not done in fare manner at times and this is killing the passion for sport and career. Government’s agents are at times on top of the blame in fuelling corruption.
There deserve cities to host big national games which are denied the status by means of corruption. Once a city is denied the chance to host a sport festival or gala it means it will remain under develop and athletes in the area will not be recognised.
A host city has many advantages because it is given the chance to display its talent and scouters can identify the best athletes out of the city to change their lives. In Africa, the same cities and sports fields are always used and there are no chances of constructing more sports fields and infrastructure.
Corruption in the fields of play is slowly getting momentum. The World Anti-Doping Agencies are at times bribed to cover corruption acts which the agents may one way or the other benefit. Nepotism has been seen in the managerial posts and also among the sportsmen. If one promotes nepotism, it means corruption is also promoted fully. People who are worth playing must not be discriminated out of play or taken as substitute players.
This world is a better place if we all respect our rights and consider the talents in anyone regardless of age, race, language and creed. When making policies, administrators should not be biased as this may give room for corruption. More talent search programs must be taken seriously and develop sport well. Issues of gender must be considered too for a balance in sport so that everyone can enjoy being part of the united family.
Written By: David Nhau
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