IT industry anchors African sports

On Aug. 29, the Kenyan Olympic team will receive 14.5 million shillings (US$215,000) from President Mwai Kibaki, and mobile phone operator Safaricom is one of the main sponsors.

Kenya had its best performance in Beijing since the 1988 Seoul Olympics, winning 14 medals, a feat that has been credited to motivation by the government and the private sector. Safaricom, for example, hosted a dinner for the Kenyan team before it left for China.

But the FIFA World Cup in 2010 in South Africa promises to be the event of a lifetime for many African countries and companies. It will be the first time Africa will host a global sporting events, and neighboring countries are hoping to cash in on events leading up to the World Cup.

Continental mobile phone provider MTN is a major sponsor of the FIFA 2010 World Cup, lining up prizes for goals scored and planning to provide unrivaled mobile content to benefit all 20 countries where the company operates.

"MTN is about delivering telecommunications services, and sports -- especially football -- is the common language that people speak around the globe, " said Pravashini Govender, MTN general manager of stakeholder management. "Our sponsorship of sports is a natural extension of our commitment."

To underscore that commitment, Govender says MTN is sponsoring a wide range of sports, from golf and beach volleyball to cycling. MTN has been the title sponsor of the Confederation of African Football's (CAF) Champions League's 2006 and 2008 Africa Cup of Nations football tournament.

"MTN has provided financial support to various sport federations, which enables them to set up various structures for the development of sport," Govender added. "Our support has ensured effective organization, administration and effective management of sport in our markets."

African sports management has faced a series of challenges, and SuperSport has joined forces with Wits University Business School to improve the standard of sports administration by creating a platform where members of sporting bodies in Africa can learn from top-notch facilitators, said Guy Hawthorne, SuperSport publicity editor.

SuperSport provides comprehensive coverage of local and global sport to more than 2 million customers across Africa through <a href="http://www.dstv.com/main_dstv.aspx" target="_blank">DSTv</a>, its digital satellite broadcasting service. DSTv Mobile, the company's newest brand, will enable Africans to watch television programs over their mobile phones.

To support sports in the countries receiving the pay TV service, SuperSport has formal agreements with various footballing bodies and informal partnerships with sporting codes in golf, canoeing, wheelchair basketball and the Kenya Olympic squad.

Sponsorship of the national football leagues eases the strain on resources and allows leagues to focus on the development of management skills. The money has also enabled clubs to pay players and improve grassroots scouting for local talent.

Africa's newest cable television provider, GTV, is the main sponsor of local leagues in Tanzania, Uganda, Ghana and Ivory Coast, with a view to developing soccer in Africa, said Mary Lusiba, GTV marketing manager in charge of Africa.

"Through financing of the clubs and local football federations, GTV has helped improve soccer standards," said Lusiba. "Players can now train in modern facilities with proper kits and have been exposed to international soccer standards, which they adhere to, thus enhancing the sport."

Apart from the monetary incentives to the national leagues, the exposure by cable TV has allowed youth to get lucrative contracts abroad and sponsorship deals from various companies, both local and international.

"The decision by DSTV and GTV is motivated by the desire to win a slice of the market," said James Wokabi, the CNN 2007 sports journalist of the year. "One will want to watch his or her own country or club on TV."