CBZ Holdings has thrown its financial weight behind Zimbabwe’s next generation of Olympians, injecting US$15 000 into the country’s preparations for the historic Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games.
The sponsorship, unveiled in Harare on Friday alongside Team Zimbabwe’s official kit, comes as an important boost for the 11-member delegation that will represent the country at the Games, which will be held in Senegal from October 31 to November 13.
Dakar 2026 will go into the history books as the first Summer Youth Olympic Games to be staged on African soil, with about 2 700 athletes from across the globe expected to compete.
But for CBZ Holdings group chief executive officer Lawrence Nyazema, the significance of the sponsorship stretches well beyond the continental milestone.
Nyazema believes the young athletes heading to Senegal are potential senior Olympians of the future and that supporting them now is an investment in Zimbabwe’s long-term sporting ambitions.
“We are sponsoring the youth team from Zim that is going to Dakar. And Dakar is a special occasion. It's the first time the Summer Olympics are coming to Africa,” he said.
“So, as Africa, we are welcoming, and as Dakar itself, we are celebrating. But more importantly, because these are youth games, 14- to 17-year-olds, what does it mean to us? It means we are building for the future.”
Nyazema said CBZ was already looking beyond Dakar, with the hope that members of the current youth team will eventually graduate to the senior Olympic stage.
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“So not only am I expecting the Zimbabwean team to do well in Dakar, I look forward to the same athletes who are going to Dakar, converting into senior Olympians in 2028 in Los Angeles, in 2032 in Brisbane,” he said.
The CBZ boss said the talent in the current team gave him reason to believe that many of the young athletes could enjoy long international careers.
“And when I look at the athletes that we have in this room, it's very clear in my mind that the next four Olympics, they are likely to be around,” he added.
Nyazema also spoke about the wider importance of sport to national development, describing it as a unifying force capable of bringing together people from different backgrounds.
“It's all about teamwork, it's all about preparation, it's all about discipline. And that's what we see with our Olympic team.”
He said CBZ viewed its role as going beyond that of a conventional financial institution, arguing that investment in sport and sporting infrastructure could contribute to the country’s broader development.
“At CBZ, we see our role as being more than just a financial institution.”
The US$15 000 sponsorship will support the team’s apparel and preparations for the Dakar Games, but Nyazema hinted at a potentially much bigger commitment in the years ahead.
“So specifically coming to what we are putting on the table, it's a sponsorship of US$15,000. By the time we go to the 2028 Olympics, I want to be talking of millions.”
Nyazema said the immediate objective was to ensure the young athletes were properly equipped for their international assignment.
“And what are we trying to do at CBZ? We want to make sure that our athletes are well dressed,” he said.
“I would be proud to be putting on what I'm seeing any day, anywhere in the world. But we want you to have the best of facilities as you prepare for Dakar and even after Dakar.”
Zimbabwe Olympic Committee president Thabani Gonye welcomed the sponsorship, but stressed that its importance went beyond the financial value attached to it.
For Gonye, the partnership represents a commitment to creating a sustainable pathway for Zimbabwean athletes from the junior ranks to senior international competition.
“While we are proud to unveil Team Zimbabwe's official kit and also the sponsorship for ZOC 2026, the true significance of this occasion lies in the partnership,” he said.
He said CBZ had become more than a sponsor, describing the relationship as a strategic partnership aimed at creating a lasting sporting legacy.
“CBZ, for all things, has chosen to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee, not simply as a sponsor but as a partner in building a legacy.”
Gonye said the financial injection would provide important support to the team, but argued that the relationship being established between the two organisations was even more valuable.
“The financial support is important, yes.
“As in our strategy, we believe it's the fuel for our elite performance engine, which is our capacity, one in our strategy, as defined in our strategy. But what matters most is the real relationship being built here. The commitment to work together to invest in dreams and empower athletes to reach their optimum or full potential, that we value.”
The ZOC president said the partnership was aligned with the committee’s eight-year strategic plan running from 2026 to 2033, which seeks to strengthen athlete development and create greater opportunities for Zimbabwean sport.
“The strategic partnership, which is consistent with our eight-year strategic plan, which began in 2026 and runs to 2033, demonstrates that when institutions and sport unite, the impact goes far beyond competition.”
Gonye said the ultimate objective was to ensure that sporting development reached beyond elite athletes and into communities across the country.
“It is the building of a foundation that touches families, communities, inspires young athletes that we speak of, and strengthens the very fabric of our nation and the social and economic impact thereof.”
He also described the sponsorship as a vote of confidence in Zimbabwe’s young athletes.
“Your decision to partner with us is a powerful endorsement of Zimbabwe sport. You have shown that you believe in our athletes, in their resilience, in their ability to carry the flag of Zimbabwe with pride on the continental and global stage.”
Gonye urged the Dakar-bound athletes to appreciate the significance of the support they were receiving and to view the Games as part of a much longer journey.
“As you prepare for Dakar 2026, know that you are not only supported financially, but you are embraced by a partnership that believes in your journey.”
He said ZOC also wanted to widen the talent identification net by reaching communities and districts that have traditionally received less attention.
“We believe for an athlete to be successful, good as they may be, they require support right from the beginning.”
The unveiling of the kit and sponsorship has now given the 11-member Zimbabwean delegation a significant boost as preparations gather momentum for Dakar.
For the young athletes, the Games will provide a rare opportunity to compete on the biggest youth sporting stage and to become part of an historic first for the African continent.
For CBZ and ZOC, however, the Dakar campaign is being viewed as the beginning of something bigger — a deliberate attempt to build a pipeline of athletes capable of carrying Zimbabwe’s Olympic ambitions into the next decade.
Gonye summed up the broader ambition succinctly.
“This is more than a sponsorship. This is partnership. And it is a partnership that will carry Team Zimbabwe to Dakar and beyond.”
