Minister has great track record
Zimbabwean athletes in great hands as Kirsty Coventry settles in. Harare
Zimbabwe’s new Minister of Sport, Kirsty Coventry, believes the country needs to be more “strategic” in the development of Olympic athletes as she seeks to unlock the potential of the African nation on the global stage.
Former Olympic swimming champion Coventry, who turned 35 last week, was sworn in by President Emmerson Mnangagwa earlier this month in a surprise, but largely welcomed, elevation to the country’s cabinet.
“Two important factors we need to consider if we are to improve our chances are obviously providing facilities and access to sport, and in this regard I think we need to be more strategic,” Coventry said.
“The example I always use is that of Jamaica, who decided to focus on the 100 metre and 200m sprints, because they saw that as a strength, and they have done remarkably well.
“In Zimbabwe we need to be more deliberate about what our goals are and not try to spread ourselves thinly across a whole range of sports. We have to look at where we think we can do well and focus on that.
“That is not to say we will ignore other sports, of course not, but we need to have a clear plan of how we want to move forward.”
Coventry is the most successful Olympian to emerge from the African continent with seven medals in the pool. Zimbabwe’s only other success at the Games was a gold for their women’s hockey team in Moscow in 1980.
Dubbed the country’s “Golden Girl”, she acknowledges that in a nation where economic and political challenges have left sections of society polarised, her portfolio, which also includes the arts and the upliftment of youth, is vitally important.
“I firmly believe that sport breaks down barriers between people, and that it can bring a nation together in unity and pride. It transcends all sections of society, the older generation and the kids,” Coventry said.
“It brings a sense of what is possible to people and it is very exciting for me to have the opportunity to unlock our potential across not just sport but the arts as well.”
She plans to sit down in the coming weeks with the country’s sporting federations, coaches, players and other stakeholders to listen to their challenges.
“I want to understand how we can better support our athletes and youth, because sport and the arts is also a vehicle for job creation, which is so important for Zimbabwe.”
Coventry says she never had an ambition to go into government, but now that the opportunity has presented itself, she is eager to make the most of it.
“I do believe that things are brought to you for a reason and that there is a bigger picture to what we are doing. Zimbabwe is a very exciting place at the moment with everything that is happening.
“I will do what I have always done, to try and inspire and uplift people.
“I know I will need to surround myself with a good team to achieve what we want to do, but I still see myself very much as just a person and not a politician.”
Coventry has extensive experience in sports administration. She was elected chair of the International Olympic Committee’s athletes’ commission earlier this year, and is also a member of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s athletes committee.
She has served as vice-president of the Zimbabwe National Olympic Committee and fulfilled the same role for the International Surfing Association.
“I will be staying in my IOC posts. It is very important for Zimbabwe that I do so,” she said.
“That is my background and my heritage.”
Coventry remains one of the bestknown sports personalities in Africa, after shining in the pool throughout a lengthy international career.
Her seven Olympic medals included gold in the 200m backstroke at the 2004 Athens Games and the 2008 Beijing showpiece, and she is the most decorated Olympian in women’s swimming along with Krisztina Egerszegi of Hungary.
She also bagged three titles in the 100m and 200m backstroke events at the Fina World Championships between 2005 and 2009, and her career tally included a combined 13 medals at the longcourse and short-course global championships.
In 2002 she won the Commonwealth Games 200m medley title in Manchester, and at continental level she shone by raking in a remarkable 22 medals at the All Africa Games, including 14 gold, between 2007 and 2015.
A former student at Auburn University in Alabama, she retired from competitive sport after the 2016 Rio Olympics, having made her fifth successive appearance at the Games.