Zim calls British ban "racist madness"

Zimbabwe is reacting today to reports that the British government is considering banning all Zimbabwean athletes from entering its country. The move is an alleged attempt to suppress Robert Mugabe’s regime. But the Zimbabwean information secretary said that British ban is racist and is an attempt to treat his country as if it is still a colony.

From BBC

"I don't think the British Government will sink so low as to implement that - and if they do, well, we are appealing to the world community to express their concern and urge the British to stop that madness," he said.

Mr Ndlovu said Zimbabwe had the support of the International Olympic Committee and Fifa and he said the joke would be on the British government if measures to ban Zimbabwean sports competitors were introduced.

He said Britain had a "vendetta" against Zimbabwe because of Mr Mugabe's seizure of white-owned land…

A spokesman for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport said that no final decision had been taken.

"While there are currently no sporting sanctions on Zimbabwe, we should not let international sport become a propaganda tool for dictators."

Such a move by the British government would be seen as controversial for other reasons. Under a ban tennis player Cara Black, Olympic swimmer Kirsty Coventry and golfer Nick Price would all have trouble competing in respective upcoming competions.

As usually, I blame this mess on Robert Mugabe for letting his country fall deeper into isolation because of the insane human rights violations he allows to happen in Zimbabwe. Today happens to be the 28th anniversary of his election to presidency, and what a disappointment it has turned into.