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Grace Chingoma
Senior Sports Reporter
THE National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe yesterday unveiled a US$50 000 sponsorship package for the Takawira Triangular series which will be funded by Baldmin Holdings.
The sponsorship will run five specific events for the next five years.
Baldmin Holdings, a firm with major interests in mining and medical supplies, will through their foundation fund three athletics legs that will be held in Harare, Bulawayo and Mashonaland Central respectively.
These legs will be named after famous local athletes that have made significant contributions to the sport.
On top of that, the sponsor will also finance the NAAZ Junior Championships, Shabanie Mine Track and Field Championships as well as a 10 000m Challenge, a track event that is being introduced this year by the national association.
The first leg of the Triangular series will be called the Artwell Mandaza Triangular series and will be held in Mashonaland Central in honour of the one of the greatest sprinters to emerge from the country.
This leg will rotate every year with other provinces having a chance to host it as a way of developing the sport code.
The second and third legs would be held in Harare and Bulawayo permanently and will carry international qualifying times.
The Harare leg would be named after Robert Mutsauki, a former athlete and distinguished administrator and former Athletics and Zimbabwe Olympic Committee president.
The Bulawayo leg would be named after the sponsor Costar Takawira, who is also the Baldmin Holdings Managing Director.
Takawira is a former runner, who is passionate about the sport and is now giving back to the community.
NAAZ president Tendai Tagara said the three legs would be run in April and May with each leg being sponsored to the tune of US$10 000.
Tagara said Baldmin Holdings decided to get into bed with the local association after they sponsored the NAAZ Junior Championship to the tune of US$10 000 last year.
The sponsor will also maintain this event this year but decided to quintuple his financial contribution by coming up with the Triangular series as well as the 10 000m Challenge that will be run in the track where it is less commonly held.
The 10 000m also carries an incentive of US$1 000 for the athletes that will run qualifying times for the World Championships.
The firm will also sponsor the Shabanie Mine Track and Field Championships which is expected to be bigger this year and would be handled by the national association.
Baldmin Holdings is also seeking to revive the Chamber of Mines Track and Field Championships that were the backbone of athletics.
NAAZ President Tendai Tagara welcomed the package and the growing relationship with Baldmin Holdings which began last year with the Junior Championships.
The association’s transparency in running the Junior Championships last year might also have charmed the sponsor who then decided to inject more funds into the sport.
“I want to thank the confidence that Mr Takawira has shown to athletics,” said Tagara.
Takawira, who has been sponsoring Shabanie Track and Field as well as Shabanie Mine Football Club before it was relegated, said he decided to engage the association and develop the sport at a greater scale.
“Athletics took me places and gave me the confidence to be where I am.
“We have decided to sponsor some of these events and I want to reassure you that last year was the beginning and our aim is to have these events for the next five or ten years as long as Baldmin is still operating and funds do permit us,” said Takawira.
The event held at the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee offices was also attended by Baldmin Holdings Group Production Manager Shingirayi Sibanda, the acting ZOC chief executive Memory Pakati, ZOC life honorary member Robert Mutsauki, Sports Commission governance and compliance manager Charity Nyamayedenga and NAAZ development commission member Daniel Kuvengwa.
Pakati said they were happy that NAAZ will get a sponsorship that will go a long way in assisting them.
The veteran administrator Mutsauki commended Takawira who he coached as a budding athlete back in the day.
“We must applaud the concept of giving back. How many others are doing it, I think we must build on that because they are building a very foundation.
“How many other top athletes’ do we have out there who are now in positions, where they have access to resources, where they make decisions, who could also come in and complement him and I think this is a challenge for NAAZ because you can actually use him as an example that it actually works,” said Mutsauki.
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