ZOC sign sponsorship agreement with Interfin

By Ellina Mhlanga
THE Zimbabwe Olympic Committee received a major boost ahead of their 2012 Olympic Games preparations when they signed a memorandum of understanding with a local financial institution in Harare yesterday.
Interfin Banking Corporation Limited entered into an agreement with ZOC in which the bank will be giving sponsorship worth US$20 000 for this year.
The agreement is for a three-year period and it will be reviewed annually. The money will be used for various programmes to be conducted by the ZOC. ZOC president, Admire Masenda, acknowledged the move made by Interfin considering that most organisations and companies were facing difficult times.
“We are very excited about this sponsorship (deal). It comes at a time when everyone is facing difficult times. For you (Interfin) coming on board, it is something we appreciate.
“For us, ZOC, our job is to facilitate for athletes to participate in international events and it is a process that start at grassroots level with various sporting associations picking the talent.
“Once a set of games is over, you start over again and in that process athletes need resources,” said Masenda.
The ZOC president said the sponsorship will go a long way in sustaining their programmes.
“We have got a long-term strategy to produce world class athletes. ZOC recently formulated its 2011-2015 strategic plan in which the emphasis will be upon five key areas of Olympism and Olympic Education, sport development, organisational effectiveness, marketing and revenue generation. The strategic plan is buttressed by a very ambitious long-term winning strategy whose main goal is to continuously churn out world class athletes by 2020.
“We are looking forward to a long and fruitful partnership with Interfin,” Masenda said.
Interfin executive director (retail and wholesale banking), Emmanuel Tagarira, said the challenge faced by many young athletes is lack of support after school.
“The challenge faced by the majority of our students after they complete high school is that excellence in these sporting disciplines ends there, at high school. This is either due to lack of sporting and academic guidance or lack of financial support. After high school, standing on the podium for glory is no longer enough. We want our athletes to be able to earn a living from prizes achieved at regional and international competitions. It is up to the corporate community to make our athletes’ aspirations a reality,” said Tagarira.
He also said that their aim is to assist ZOC prepare as many athletes as possible for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
“Interfin has committed to assisting the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee in training and developing (athletes) with the goal of getting many of our athletes as possible to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games.
“In supporting the athletes, we ultimately want them to lift the country’s flag high on to the Olympic world map,” said Tagarira.