Sanlam Life Insurance Company is set to sponsor the top three (3) winners of the 21st inter-company relay to be held on Saturday 22nd June 2019 at Heroes stadium in Lusaka.
The top 3 winners will be fully sponsored with an all expensive paid trip to attend the September Cape Town Marathon in South Africa which is the only African IAAF Gold label status marathon.
The winners will range from different categories namely 100 meters Chief Executive Officer CEOs race, 5km healthy walk road race and the high performance for this year’s event.
Speaking at a media briefing, Sanlam Acting Chief Executive Director Tontela Siwale endorsed this initiative saying Sanlam believes that a healthy society brings development that improves the economy. He said that the company is more than delighted to be key driver of the Zambian Economy through health and wellbeing.
In a separate interview with the Zambian Business Times-ZBT, the Director said that two professional athletes will be among those that the company will sponsor so they can draw some inspirations from other professional in countries participating in the IAAF event.
Siwale revealed that the Insurance company and the Zambia Armature Athletics Association (ZAAA) have formed a partnership which will grasp a promotion of health being through sports.
And ZAAA president Alias Mpondela has praised Sanlam for the gesture it has offered in trying to promote a health life through the support of sports in the country.
“Identifying ourselves with Sanlam and Sanlam identifying its self with Zambian athletics which is what they have promoted in South Africa is a very great gesture for us, we are very delighted for the commitment which has been made to sponsor top three winners in various categories and this to us signifies the commitment in which Sanlam is putting up to promote athletics in the country,” he said.
Mpondela added that this year’s intercompany relay has witnessed a growing response and participation following a call by president Lungu for all Zambians to take up physical exercise in order to prevent non communicable diseases.
“So far we have 65 companies that have entered the competition out of 100 that where projected while 450 walkers have already registered from 500 projected walkers. 250 individual walkers from 200 projected have already registered while 150 participants have already registered for the 10km power race when only 10 projected,” he said.
The ZAAA president added that the ICR in which Sanlam is participating is an event that focuses on rising funds for the promotion and development of athletics in the country while promoting an integrated approach to health response.
