EDITORIAL: LET'S SAFEGUARD SPORTS STAKEHOLDERS’ RIGHTS
There is no doubt that Association (‘Soccer’) Football is the most popular spectator sport out of the more than 40 various sports across the world, Tanzania included.
The second popular sport is professional boxing – in Tanzania, at least, where the number of boxers with latent talent is growing by the year. Some of the boxers are already doing well locally and internationally.
Professional boxing fans and other stakeholders are proud to have in their midst already-prominent professional boxers like Hassan Mwakinyo, Ibrahim Class, Twaha Kiduku, Abdallah Pazi, Jongo Jongo, etc., who have been doing well in both local and international bouts.
Tanzania is also home to female professional boxers, more notable of whom are Feriche Mashauri, Zulfa Macho, Asha Ngedere, Stumai Muki and Happy Daudi.
Professional boxing in Tanzania has been gaining status beginning in the early 1990s, with the sport’s development being contributed to by professional boxing promoters like The Jackson Group Sport.
The Group has already staged two international-class fights, with the third one slated for the Next Door Arena in Masaki, Dar es Salaam, on March 26 this year.
However, there are a very few boxing promoters who have been tarnishing the sport, largely by violating the rules and regulations set by the government (through the National Sports Council (NSC)) and the Tanzania Professional Boxing Regulatory Commission (TPBRC).
For example, there currently are some boxers who are yet to be paid for ‘work done in the ring’ despite the fact that they signed contracts as per regulations. Yet, no disciplinary and/or corrective action has been taken by the authorities against the offending promoters. Generally, this does not augur well for sports in Tanzania.
It is past high time that the sports authorities took remedial action as and when necessary to ensure that fair and functional sports development is maximised at all times.
HONOUR AFRICA SCOUT DAY
Today, March 13, is Africa Scout Day, officially established by the Council of Ministers of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in 1995 to recognize the Scout Movement in Africa.
When the OAU was replaced by the African Union (AU) in 2002, the latter went along with the annual celebration as originally planned by its precursor seven years earlier.
In that regard, Scouts and Scouters – adult leaders in Scouts Associations – throughout Africa have been celebrating this day to take stock of the achievements of Scouting, and build partnerships for more social impact in Africa.
The Scout Movement – also known as Scouting or the Scouts – is a voluntary non-political educational movement for young people regardless of gender, race or origin.
Founded by Britain’s Baron Robert Baden-Powell in 1908, the Scout Movement is intended to contribute to the development of young people in achieving their full physical, intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual potentials as individuals, as responsible citizens – and as members of their local, national and international communities.
Hence the advisability of young men and women to join the Scout-and-Guide Movement with the goal of contributing to the development of young people in achieving their full potential in Society.
