RENOWNED sportscaster Merit Munzwembiri was at the weekend elected into the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee (ZOC) board led by veteran athletics administrator Thabani Gonye.
Gonye is deputised by former Zimbabwe Volleyball Association president Fredreck Ndlovu, who comes in as first vice-president, while long-serving Zimbabwe Netball Association president Leticia Chipandu is second vice-president.
Godfrey Sunguro will take charge of the association’s finances.
Other board members include Stanford Mapfumo, retired road king Abel Chimukoko, former ZVA secretary-general Ringisai Mapondera, National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe (Naaz) president Tendai Tagara, Chipo Zumbani as well as athletes commission chairperson Cuthbert Nyasango.
“I am humbled by the support and trust from the National Sports Federations that see value in me as an administrator that can come in to assist in the policy direction of our sports industry as a country. I feel honoured to be part of the ZOC board, especially coming from the media where I practiced as a sports reporter and gained immense insight into issues to do with Zimbabwean sport. I believe that experience gives me a good chance to be able to assist our local sports in terms of the right strategies to adopt going forward,” said Munzwembiri.
“My nomination into the board is, however, not based on my media experience only, but l am a trained sports administrator with an IOC Diploma in Management of Olympic Sport Organisations and hold several other sports management related courses. Apart from that I mentor young athletes and have been a constant speaker at many sports conferences which helped my profile.”
She said coming from a media background, she will strive during her tenure to cultivate improved relations between National Sports Associations and the media, as frosty relations have a negative impact on sports and also scare away the corporate world that usually frowns at having its brand associated with bad publicity.
“I assume this role with a desire to see improved engagement between the media and National Sports Associations. I would like to see NSAs improving their communications structures because too often the media has raised issues regarding sports administrators and athletes not being forthcoming to the media. Undeniably the media is a key stakeholder in the growth of Zimbabwean sport,” said Munzwembiri.-chroncicle
