The Sunday News
Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
MAIN sponsors of the Bonaqua Troutbeck Africa Triathlon Union, Africa Cup to be staged in Nyanga on Saturday, Coca-Cola have affirmed their commitment to supporting the sport in the country.
Vee Chibanda, the Coca-Cola Zimbabwe market activations manager said last year’s sponsorship of the ATU Africa Cup turned out to be an enormous investment which has seen them return this year more invigorated with Bonaqua as the title sponsor. She was addressing a triathlon media training workshop for local journalists at a Harare hotel Wednesday.
“Last season’s ATU triathlon sponsorship proved to be a great one and it left us with a hunger for more and we are here this year with our Bonaqua water, Water by Design brand as the title sponsor. We are happy that Bonaqua will continue to oil and quench our relationship with the media and the triathlon association. We are always on the quest to find what lies beyond our limits and what will make us better journalists, sponsors, organisers and persons,’’ said Chibanda.
She said the objective of the workshop was to give the journalists the tools for the sport which they will then use to demonstrate proper techniques and in demystifying triathlon.
Zimbabwe Olympic Committee president Admire Masenda challenged the journalists to thrive to understand triathlon the same way they comprehend other sports like football. This he said they can achieve by covering the sport throughout the year.
“My challenge to the journalists is that they should understand the sport of triathlon the same way you understand your Liverpool and Chelsea. Cover the sport throughout the year, carry the stories on a day to day basis, help the sponsor. The media has a critical role to build triathlon as a whole,’’ he said.
Zimbabwe Triathlon Union president Ricky Fulton, a man with over three decades in the sport took the scribes through the history of the sport in Zimbabwe and internationally. Fulton said in triathlon records are never broken because the race courses are always different.
On the event in Nyanga, Fulton explained that the water is tested to make sure that it meets international standards something which is done weeks before the competition. He disclosed that that if the water is not up to the required standards a contingency plan is put in place. Marketing and public affairs director at Schweppes Zimbabwe Limited Unaiswi Nyikadzino said they chose to sponsor triathlon because of existence of good corporate governance in the sport locally. She declared that they had committed to sponsoring triathlon for the long run. Other bankrollers of Saturday’s event are Hyundai, Bokomo Weet-Bix, Bon Marche and DHL. While this is the first time that Bonaqua are the title sponsors, this is the fourth year that Coca-Cola have been involved with the Troutbeck event.
Meanwhile, Fulton said the elite triathletes, whose entries are being facilitated through the International Triathlon Union, are expected to start arriving in the country from Thursday.
Last year, the elite winners were Ayan Beisenbayev of Kazakhstan for the men section while Fabienne St Louis of Mauritius for the women category.
The local triathlon season officially ends today with the last event to be held at the Mount Pleasant Pool in Harare.
@Mdawini_29
