Plans are underway for Tanzania to organise the first National Sportwomen Cup tournament early next year, it has been leant. To start with, five regions — Mwanza, Arusha, Ruvuma, Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar — will compete in women’s soccer, netball, volleyball and athletics.
The idea emerged during the International Inspiration Tanzania Women’s Task Force meeting held at the British Council in the city over the weekend. The Women’s Task Force Committee feels that there is need to organise such an event which will bring together girls and sportswomen to sensitize, promote and cultivate a culture for them get involved in sports.
The National Task Force chairperson Irene Mwasanga said that the idea has come at the right moment, but it needs the support of public and private companies and institutions and well-wishers to make it happen.
“The committee agree that after a job well done in terms of educating women sports leaders through seminars, it is now time to bring all these people together and show what they did in the few years the programme has been in existence,” she said.
Mwasanga said former Registrar of National Sports Associations and Clubs Rachel Masamu, who is one of the committee members, has been given the task to lead a sub-committee that will initiate the idea.
She said since she was given the task last year her committee has done a lot to involve girls and women in sports in the five regions that are under the programme.
“We have already organized several women sports leadership seminars for schools sports teachers and they have been very successful,” she said. Mwasanga said that those who had the opportunity to attend the seminars have already used the knowledge to organise sports activities and now it is time to bring them together to show what they have achieved.
She, however, said that the programme does not only involve them in sports, but it also aims at empowering girls and women to take over leadership roles in the society through sports. The International Inspiration programme is under the British Council and National Sports Council.
By MBONILE BURTON, Tanzania Daily News
