adminEllina Mhlanga Sports Reporter
THE Sports Commission will today host an Annual National Sports Awards fundraising dinner at Holiday Inn Hotel in Harare as they begin preparations for the event set for December.
The dinner will run under the theme: “Celebrating our sporting icons through Ansa.”
Anthony Mandiwanza, the group chief executive for Dairibord Zimbabwe Limited, is the key speaker at the function.
In a statement released by the Sports Commission yesterday, their corporate communications officer Tirivashe Nheweyembwa said the purpose of the dinner is to fundraise for the annual awards slated for December 16.
The dinner is also expected to provide the national sporting associations with an opportunity to interact with the corporate world and to explore avenues in which the corporate can use sport to enhance their market shares.
“It is through this dinner that we wish to augment resources that we are receiving from Delta Corporation, the title sponsors of Ansa.
“We are hoping to raise about $5 000 from this dinner in cash and kind,” said Nheweyembwa.
Nyeweyembwa said the total budget for the awards is $50 000 and are still waiting for confirmation from their main sponsor Delta Corporation.
“The total budget for Ansa is US$50 000 but we are expecting that part of it will come from Delta Corporation though they are yet to officially confirm their position.
“We expect the confirmation to come through before the end of next week,” said Nheweyembwa.
The Sports Commission corporate communications officer noted that nominations, which are already open, will close on November 18 with the finalists expected to be unveiled on November 25.
“To this end we would like to appeal to the national sport associations to submit their nominations for their athletes, teams and officials who would have done well during the year,” Nheweyembwa said.
A number of national teams and individual athletes have done well on the international front this year and will be vying for several accolades on offer during this year’s main Ansa function on December 16.
The senior women’s national team, the Mighty Warriors, recently wrote their own piece of history when they qualified for next year’s Rio Olympic Games in Brazil and are strong favourites to win the Team of the Year award.
They are likely to win the award ahead of their male counterparts, the Warriors, who also qualified for next year’s CHAN final which will be staged in Rwanda in January after beating Lesotho 4-2 on aggregate on Sunday in the final qualifying round of the continental tournament.
Swimming icon Kirsty Coventry won three gold medals at this year’s African Games (formerly All-Africa Games) in Congo Brazzaville and should walk away with the Sportswoman of the Year award while young motocross rider Emmanuel Bako has been a sensation in the 2015 Monster Energy South African National Championship series.
Bako (9) is on the brink of winning the series’ 50cc Pro Class title and a top two finish during the last round of the tough seven-round competition at Smoking Pistons in Johannesburg this Saturday will see him being crowned the champion and this will make him the hot favourite to win the Junior Sportsperson of the Year award. Boxer Charles Manyuchi is the reigning Sportsperson of the Year after scooping the award last year, beating four-time winner Cara Black.
He should retain the award after he successfully defended his WBC welterweight bronze title and received $50 000 from President Mugabe at a colourful ceremony at State House.
Online Reporter