FLY ON THE WALL: It’s a no-brainer: Sports is much more than just Simba, Yanga and football
Despite all the right noises that you hear on radio and television - as well as the occasional ‘Ni zamu yetu’ exhortations - sports in Tanzania is virtually moribund.
In the past, the disciplined forces were an important cog in the wheel of sports development as upcoming talent from an equally vibrant school sports system was feeding the disciplined forces.
It is sad to note that these days neither the school system nor the disciplined forces is producing formidable sportsmen and women. That our sports sector is dying feels that much worse because our neighbours seem to be thriving amidst all the challenges we are experiencing.
Sports is both entertainment and a source of employment. With the unemployment crisis in Tanzania – as is the case with many other sub-Sahara African countries – one would think that the government would do much more than just mouth empty rhetoric in sports development. But, no! All that politicians and bureaucrats do is ‘receive’ winners of some tournaments in Parliament.
Our president says he does not like losers. Indeed, losing is not one of those things that inspire supporters in their millions. If anything, losing is lonely company - while winners have many followers. But, that’s not where the problem is. We take the President’s challenge too literally. In saying he does not like losers, he is saying we must compete to win - and not whine about the reasons that cause our sportsmen and women to lose.
What are the causes of the dearth and death of sports in Tanzania today? You have to start from what we consider to be ‘sports.’ With our 55 million-plus population, by dint of some misinformation, it seems that the only sport we consider to be worth pursuing is football, in which we expect Simba and Yanga to be mentioned in the same breath.
There is a saying that “parachutes and minds are similar, as they only work well when they are open”. Our nation has a closed mind when it comes to sports. Given our collective closed mind, millions of young people aspire to be a ‘Mbwana Samatta,’ or a ‘Diamond Platinumz!’
Among the millions of us are potential cricket, hockey and swimming champions. But they are not taking the unbeaten path. When was the last time - from Kigoma all the way to Dar es Salaam - that you saw a game of hockey being played? That is until you get to a Gymkhana Club!
The bureaucrats at the Sports ministry have excellent blueprints. But - unless the coronavirus ironically saves us the blushes by having the Tokyo 2020 Olympics cancelled, we are likely to be represented by less than ten sportsmen and women, accompanied by a large contingent of officials.
The minister and his bureaucrats take the President’s words too literally. Winning begins with planning and investing in potential world-beaters.
It is hard not to compare us to our perennial rivals next-door, Kenya. In the Tokyo Olympics report - which is a public document - Kenya have set aside the equivalent of Sh12 billion for Tokyo 2020. They are taking to Tokyo a women’s volleyball team, athletes, boxers, swimmers, rugby teams and tennis players... In total, their team will have 130 athletes and may be 40 officials. They are putting their money where their mouth is: investing in sports.
We love winners... Or so, we claim. How are we going to get winners if we are obsessed with only one sport, association football, in which - despite colossal investment - we’ve been unable to turn into a formidable employer relative to the hype.
Our reporters simply key in ‘Simba’ and ‘Yanga’ - then proceed to wait for text given the pull of those two clubs. In the process, we abjectly fail to grow other sports which are considered peripheral. Sports writer Imani Makongoro must have a really difficult time selling non-football stories to her editors. But she has a job to do. I have no idea whether our two Olympian qualifiers are looking forward to Tokyo 2020 - or are praying that the coronavirus consigns the event to the Dustbin of History!
