Bidvest gets behind Team South Africa

In May, Bidvest proudly joined the African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) as the official partner for Team South Africa. With the announcement came the relaunch of its Operation Excellence programme, now called the Bidvest Operation Excellence (Bidvest OPEX) programme. The programme is aimed at supporting athletes with the potential to qualify for world events at the highest level in multi-sporting codes. Bidvest's investment of R66 million will be directed toward the multi-faceted support needed by SA athletes in their Olympic and Paralympic Games preparation for both Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028, as well as other leading international sporting events. Speaking at the launch event, Bidvest CEO, Mpumi Madisa, emphasised how deeply the partnership has resonated across the Group as excellence is a principle that we live every day at Bidvest. Our view is not to look 'next door' but it's more about how we compete against ourselves, and setting out to beat our last achievement. It is also about doing our best and doing better today than we did yesterday.

The Bidvest OPEX programme consists of three tier parallel phases, which will receive funding support:

• One is a focus on funding elite athletes (who are the podiumpotential medallists where performance success, specifically for next year's Olympic Games in Paris, is anticipated)
• Two is developing up-andcoming athletes (supporting our nation's developing sports people, specifically those getting ready for the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028)
• And three is finding new talent at grassroots levels. This third tier is particularly exciting for Bidvest, as it goes down to grassroot levels across the country and is where Bidvest, working with SASCOC and other partners, will support and develop young sports people who are unaware of their talent, at this early stage, to become future Olympians.

Athletes will benefit from Bidvest's contribution by assistance with their living expenses, medical aid costs, transportation, access to training facilities, coaching and training fees, among many other important support services that sportsmen and women need when performing at an international level.

Mpumi explained that the ultimate decision to participate in this sponsorship was made because we recognise that sport is an amazing unifier. It cuts across all races, genders, geography, ethnicity and in SA, specifically, sport catalyses social cohesion, and breaks boundaries.

Bidvest was also attracted by the opportunity to participate in a programme that is not focused on only one sporting code. This partnership afforded Bidvest with a unique and rare chance to put the Bidvest brand behind not only soccer, rugby, cricket, but also netball, hockey, swimming, gymnastics, and many other codes. The third appeal for us as a Group was the ability to take inclusion in sport to a higher level and provide equal opportunity to athletes with disabilities.

Our energy, financial resources and excitement are equally spread among the athletes' preparations for both the Olympic and Paralympic events.

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