How Logical Is Illogic? The Curious Case of Zambia’s Medal “Presentation” Ceremony
By the Independent Sports Correspondent
Wednesday – 14 January, 2026
In the world of governance, logic is supposed to guide action. Objectives are set, plans are drawn, and resources are allocated to achieve meaningful outcomes. But what happens when public administration seems to abandon reason altogether? We are confronted with this unsettling question as we observe the Minister of Youth and Sport’s puzzling announcement: a medal presentation ceremony scheduled for January 15, 2026, at NASDEC. On the surface, it sounds like a celebration of achievement. In reality, it is a glaring example of bureaucratic illogic—a performative act so redundant it forces us to ask: what exactly is the logic behind this illogic?
The ceremony, as communicated, intends to “present” medals to athletes who won them in various competitions in 2025. Let us deconstruct this. These athletes have already earned their medals. They stood on podiums, felt the weight of the award around their necks, and experienced the triumph in real-time. The medal, by the end of 2025, is already theirs. The state’s role, logically, is either to facilitate that moment of recognition when it happens or to organise a timely, additive celebration—perhaps a gala to honour annual achievements. What the Ministry now proposes is a bizarre pantomime: summoning administrators, parading athletes, and having the Minister physically hand them the very objects they already possess. It is a circular and empty ritual. The Minister gives them what is already theirs. What value does this add? What honor does this bestow that the original victory did not? None. It is administrative theatre, a spectacle that confuses motion for progress.
This illogical ceremony is not an isolated misstep; it is a symptom of a deeper dysfunction. It points to a ministry struggling to identify meaningful work. Instead of forging a path forward, it is staging a re-enactment of the past. This retrogressive action highlights a vacuum of strategic planning and substantive programming. While athletes need support for future competitions, equipment, scientific training, and timely incentives, the Ministry is busy orchestrating a photo-op that serves no purpose other than to fill its own calendar.
The illogic grows more profound when contrasted with the Ministry’s glaring failures in areas that desperately require logical, decisive action. For over three years, the Minister has **failed to constitute the Board of the National Sports Council of Zambia**. This is not a minor oversight; it is a critical governance failure. The NSCZ Board provides oversight, policy direction, and legal grounding for sports administration. Its absence creates a void where accountability vanishes. It has allowed illegalities and administrative malpractices to go unchecked, undermining the very foundation of sports development. How logical is it to prioritize a ceremonial handout over establishing the governance structure that would prevent the need for such remedial pageantry?
Furthermore, this medal ceremony rings especially hollow given the Ministry’s recent, damning track record in handling the athletes it now seeks to parade. Just a few weeks ago, the Ministry organized youth games that descended into a national embarrassment. Young athletes were subjected to **the worst inhumane conditions**—reportedly inadequate accommodation, poor sanitation, and a lack of basic welfare. The situation deteriorated so severely that the national teams for Swimming, Athletics, and Judo made the principled decision to withdraw in protest. These are the same athletes, or their peers, whom the Ministry now wants to celebrate. The logic is perverse: first, you fail them in real-time, subjecting them to indignity and risking their well-being. Then, months later, you call them to a staged event to “honor” their past successes, which you did nothing to support at the critical moment. This is not honor; it is hypocrisy wrapped in a press release.
So, how logical is this illogic? It is entirely logical if the true objective is not sports development, but the appearance of activity. It is logical if the goal is to generate favorable headlines for a Minister, rather than foster an environment where athletes can thrive. It is a tactic of distraction—drawing attention away from the empty Board seats, away from the mismanaged youth games, and away from the lack of a coherent forward-looking sports policy.
The Ministry of Youth and Sport must undertake an urgent and serious review of its priorities. Zambia’s athletic talent is immense, but it is being stifled by bureaucracy that prefers ceremony over substance. The nation needs a functional NSCZ Board. It needs transparent funding, athlete-centered policies, and legacy infrastructure projects. It does not need a Minister playing Santa Claus, handing back gifts that were never his to give.
The greatest medal the Ministry could award Zambian sports is not a recycled piece of metal, but a functional, logical, and accountable system of governance. Until that is achieved, ceremonies like the one planned for January 15th will remain what they are: not a celebration of victory, but a monument to failure.
