“I have come to discover that over the years, more attention has been placed on talent identification than on improving the facilities. We have lost focus on revamping the facilities and ensuring that every corner has a swimming pool. That is where we have lost out. Only when we resolve that crisis can we speak of multiple star participants at the Olympics and other stages,” said the swimming icon.
Her tour took her to schools in Masvingo, Bulawayo, Gweru and Mutare, as she sought to assess the state of the sport and how it could be improved.
Coventry won three gold and four silver Olympic medals at Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008. She challenged the authorities in Zimbabwe to establish and improve facilities, especially in the high-density suburbs.
“We need local authorities to be at the forefront of improving the already existing facilities, which are lying idle, and build new ones. That is how talent can effectively be scouted,” she said. Coventry has in the past expressed a desire to personally set up swimming centres across the country, to tap more talent.
Post published in: Sport