DECEMBER 2000 SPORT HEADLINES

Wednesday, January 31, 2001 - Web posted at 8:47:23 AM GMT

Up status of netball and softball, urges Ithana

NAMIBIA's newly-appointed Attorney General Pendukeni Ithana has appealed to African sports controlling bodies to reconsider the status of netball and softball codes and admit them to the All Africa Games as medal contenders.

Ithana made the appeal before officially opening the Confederation of Southern African Netball Associations (Cosana) executive meeting on Saturday.

Ithana, who is both the African Women in Sport Association (Awisa) and the Namibia Women in Sport Association (Nawisa) president, said the two codes should not be included in the next All Africa Games scheduled for Nigeria in 2003 as demonstration sports only, but added that they deserved full recognition.

She said netball had been played for many years by women and yet failed to attract publicity, sponsorship and general recognition even by the highest sports bodies in Africa - the Supreme Council for Sport in Africa (SCSA) and the Association of African Sports Confederation (AASC)."

"We are still struggling with being admitted as full members of AASC and to have netball compete as a medal sport in Africa's prestigious All Africa Games, and the same goes for softball, played by women," Ithana said.

Ithana called on the Association of African Sports Confederation and the Supreme Council for Sport in Africa to take stock of softball and netball's successes and allow them to join the All Africa Games as medal sports."

"We strongly feel that these two associations have not been given a fair judgement as they had been admitted only as demonstration sports in the last two All Africa Games hosted by Zimbabwe in 1995 and South Africa in 1999 respectively," she said."

"We cannot help but view this action by the SCSA/AASC as a perpetuation of the discrimination and marginalisation of women in sport, both covertly and overtly."

"I am saying this because the conditions demanded from netball before it can be admitted as a medal sport and as full member of AASC are not the same conditions applied to other sports codes."

"Ithana further reminded the delegates that they are tasked with a difficult but noble task of changing the status of women in sport and netball in particular in the southern African region.

"I am appealing to you to look at this gender-related problem in a broader perspective.

You should, therefore, focus on lessons learned since the formation of Cosana, obstacles and key challenges remaining and how to overcome them.

She stressed the importance of a united front against gender marginalisation in general, and in sport in particular.

A platform was created in May 1998 through the launching of the African Women in Sport Association (Awisa), she said."

"We need to ensure that in our respective countries, the Awisa Charters are created so that Awisa, the Confederation of African Netball Associations (Cana) and Cosana can form a united front in the fight against women marginalisation in sport," Ithana added.

The executive members attending the meeting were Carole Garoes (president) and Lucy Besser (secretary general and treasurer) both from Namibia; Sofie Dlamini (vice president) from Swaziland; Abednico Kay Chetelo (director -umpiring) from Botswana; Griffin Saenda (director coaching) from Malawi; Veronica Kamona (director marketing) from Zambia and Alice Mutema (who stood in for the development director), from Zimbabwe.

Mutema is the President of the Zimbabwean Netball Association.

- Nampa

•  Boxing titles at stake
•   Pirates host Arrows
•  Boks overcoming poor displays
•  Kangaroos favourites
•  Sports Notices Cheetahs hold race
•  India takes one-dayer
•  Suzuki Night of Jumps postponed
•  Omusati, AN up in arms
•  White to work with Saracens
•  Boks keen to start Lion-taming
•  Kangueehi confident of retaining post
•  Player management
•  SA in solid start
•  Gibbs for Glamorgan