Online Reporter
Ellina Mhlanga
Zimpapers Sports Hub
THE Zimbabwe Olympic Committee on Monday held their second series of the Women in Sport Roundtable, with conversations around how sport can drive economic growth and empowerment for women.
The event organised by ZOC in collaboration with the US Embassy and ahead of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, ran under the theme: “Pioneering the Future: Leveraging Mega Sporting Events to Bridge Cultures.”
And it brought women from different backgrounds together at the embassy to deliberate on a number of key issues in sport, with United States-based hurdler Ashley Kamangirira bringing in the athlete perspective as she spoke about strategically leveraging global platforms to build visibility, unlock opportunities and creating lasting impact beyond competition.
In a pre-recorded video message Kamangirira said, “When we talk about leveraging mega sporting events especially as we look ahead to LA28, we are really talking about opportunity.
“Opportunity not just to compete but to be seen, to be heard, and to create pathways that extend far beyond the track, the field or the game.
“For many Zimbabwean athletes, and athletes across Africa, access is one of the biggest challenges, whether that’s access to facilities, exposure or networks, and for women those gaps can sometimes be even more pronounced.
“But what I have learned is that global sport still offers a powerful platform if we learn to use it strategically.
“Competing internationally showed me that every race, every event, every appearance is more than just a performance, it’s about visibility.
“And visibility, when used well, can open doors.”
Kamangirira has represented the country at major competitions, from the African Games, World Athletics Championships and Africa Senior Championships.
She won a bronze medal for Zimbabwe at the 2023 African Games held in 2024, in Accra, Ghana.
Nedbank Zimbabwe executive head of treasury, marketing and corporate affairs Latifa Kassim spoke about sponsorship and partnerships from a corporate perspective.
She highlighted the importance of sound governance and organisation within national sporting associations when it comes to seeking sponsorship from the corporates.
Legal practitioner and former ZIFA Normalisation Committee member Nyasha Sanyamandwe spoke about sports tourism and how Zimbabwe can leverage mega sporting events to unlock economic value.
She underscored the need for various stakeholders to work together to realise full potential.
The ZOC Women in Sport Roundtable is also part of Women’s Month celebrations that run throughout every March.
ZOC chief executive Marlene Gadzirayi said while the focus is on the LA28 Games, having one of their guests coming from the corporate side was deliberate to have a look at partnerships and sponsorships within the sporting sector generally.
“We started this series last year as we are looking at the road to Los Angeles 2028, hence the partnership with the US ambassador and the US embassy.
“Having one of our guests coming from the corporate side, it was more about the issues to do with partnerships and sponsorships within sport not just for LA2028 but even for the national federations themselves in terms of how they work towards sponsorship and why sponsors, actually, sponsor.
“We also looked at women in media and how they work with athletes themselves, and you know access to the athletes and how best athletes can also then brand themselves.
“And then again we also looked at the issue of sport tourism and how we can leverage on big sporting events and tourism,” said Gadzirayi.
