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Goat race lessons in sports, charity events
2005-06-25 07:26:09
By Editor
Unheralded success was registered by organisers of the Goat Race charity events held earlier this month, raising about 40.7m/-, an increase of some eight millions shillings over last year’s edition.
It was an outstanding response which the Goat Race chairman Paul Hicks had reason to be bouyant about, as it also brought a new cumulative total.
Since the annual events started in 2001, they have so far brought in 150m/-.
The various portions of fund raising involved, namely the gate takings, sponsorship, betting and members’ enclosed ticket sales all saw higher inflows this year.
At the same time winning goat owners generously donated their cash takings to the charity effort, which helped raise the fund collection much higher, as about 4.6m/- was being shared among the winners.
Sponsors Mobitel pledged an extra 3m/- over basic deal.
Projects that specifically work with women in health, education and training would benefit from the funds raised by goat races.
One such project is the CCBRT (well known as a hospital for the disabled) fistula project, another is training at KIWOHEDE, a lavatory block for WOMATO, with other beneficiaries being listed.
It is without doubt that the funds will be used in a socially progressive, helpful and solidarity-building manner.
Only the goat races have at least in the past few months provided a sporting event for purposes of charity, where fun, charity and a minimum of commerce work together.
It is possible there are other avenues for such activity which aren’t being explored intensely enough, and if developed they could improve cultural life as well as help make life easier for the less fortunate.
There is a tradition of bull fighting well known in Zanzibar.
What is also being noted in the way funds were collected at the Goat Race charity event is the various bits involved, which are hardly heard of in other sports.
There is gate collection, of which the presence of good stadia could encourage people to purchase annual or seasonal tickets, boosting incomes of clubs (say in soccer, or other sports if facilities exist).
There is also betting, sponsorship, prize money for contests, etc.
Put differently, the lack of a modern sports policy is costing the country a lot in ability to mobilise resources for charity causes, and permit greater social interaction in sports arena.
We have just one stadium in the city where people pay regularly, other areas tending to be rudimentary in character, even the Karume Memorial Stadium which played such a huge sporting role in the past. Other sports just have a hall or two, not more.
Culturally, we have tended to frown at betting games as perhaps linked to gambling and, therefore, to crime, whereas all this is a matter of degree.
Some of this interest is back in some resting places, for instance, games of luck using coins are being seen in various areas, though their relevance for charity or other purposes isn’t quite clear.
With more developed facilities, it would be easier to organise charity events in various games.
The need for facilities for sports and games brings back issues of developing a sports policy, but finally it is a reform policy in the area of sports, to enable individuals build such facilities.
Organisations (like banks, for instance) with capital and needing to invest in some fixed assets can make use of such permit, picking up a well-provided place in city centres and building a facility.
But experience of soccer clubs shows it isn’t easy.
That is why one sees a casual new paint at the buildings of Young Africans SC, but without ability to put up any new assets since this building came up in the early 1970s.
The same goes for Simba SC, where club instability helps to freeze expensive initiatives for a club house or modern pitch, etc.
Plenty must be done in this area and sports in general so that facilities can be brought up and sponsors be sure of title to property.
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