Innocent Kurira, [email protected]
ZIMBABWEAN sports administrator Maculwamahle Nkomo has earned continental recognition after being nominated for the 2026 Most Influential African Women in Sport (MIA) Awards, a development she hopes will shine a bigger spotlight on the inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities in sport.
Nkomo, who recently assumed the role of National Director and Chief Executive Officer of Special Olympics Zimbabwe (SOZ), is nominated in the Community Development, Education and Social Impact category.
She is among 70 nominees from 18 African countries competing for recognition in the awards that celebrate women shaping the continent’s sporting landscape.
The nominations bring together athletes, administrators, coaches, officials, journalists and other influential figures contributing to the growth and development of sport in Africa.
For Nkomo, however, the nomination carries significance beyond personal recognition.
She views it as an opportunity to amplify the voices of people who are often left on the margins of sporting activities, particularly athletes with intellectual disabilities.
“This is a nomination that I regard highly because of the calibre of people I am nominated with, giants that I actually learn from,” said Nkomo.
“It comes at a point when I have just started my new role as the National Director/CEO of Special Olympics Zimbabwe, an organisation mandated to drive all-year-round training and competitions for athletes with and without intellectual disabilities.”
Her appointment places her at the helm of an organisation whose work centres on creating sporting opportunities, promoting inclusion and empowering athletes with intellectual disabilities.
She believes the nomination has come at the right time as she seeks to take the organisation’s impact to every corner of Zimbabwe.
“Throughout my journey in sport, inclusion has been my key area of passion and advocacy. Being able to drive the strategic direction of such an impactful organisation as Special Olympics
Zimbabwe is true to my heart and the nomination couldn’t have come at a better time,” she said.
Nkomo’s ambition is to expand the organisation’s reach nationally while strengthening its international standing.
“The vision of Special Olympics Zimbabwe is to reach every Zimbabwean in every corner of the country and take SOZ to the international level from its impact.”
Nkomo”s sporting journey has been shaped by experience across different sporting environments, including South Africa and Zimbabwe.
She previously worked in the Department of Sport, Recreation and Culture at Vhembe District Municipality in South Africa, as well as with Matashe Correctional Services, where she served in sports coordination and officer roles.
Upon moving to Zimbabwe, Nkomo spent five years working in the Ministry of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture, contributing to National Development Strategy 1 initiatives aimed at empowering young people and steering them away from social ills through sport, particularly combat sport.
She believes sport has the power to bring people together regardless of their backgrounds and can be used to promote behavioural change, tolerance and acceptance.
“I have seen the power of sport in empowering and unifying people from all backgrounds, and I am still the same person using the transformative power of sport as a tool for bringing awareness, behavioural change, tolerance and acceptance,” she said.
With 70 nominees representing 18 nations, Nkomo acknowledges the significance of being counted among some of the continent’s leading women in sport.
She is now appealing for Zimbabweans to rally behind her nomination, insisting that the recognition should be viewed as a collective victory for sporting inclusion rather than an individual achievement.
“I will appreciate the vote and support because this is not a personal award to an individual but towards a voice of inclusion in sport,” she said.
Voting closes on November 30, giving Zimbabweans an opportunity to support Nkomo’s continental recognition and the broader cause of inclusion in sport.
