Leading African money transfer company Dahabshiil and East Africa Bank have promised to extend their support to sportsmen across the continent even as they congratulate African medal winners at the just concluded Tokyo Olympics.
Dahabshiil Group of companies, which also includes E-Dahab, Somtel and East Africa Bank, supported men's marathon bronze medallist Bashir Abdi and 5,000m silver medallist Mo Ahmed in the lead up to the global showpiece.
Both athletes have African roots having been born in Somali.
"As Dahabshiil and East Africa Bank, we are proud to be associated with African sportsmen and will continuously support young and upcoming sportsmen," Dahabshiil Group said in a statement.
The company supported Bashir as he prepared for the Olympics and this paid off when he finished third behind Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge and Dutchman Abdi Nageeye in the marathon.
Kipchoge clocked 2:08:38 to become just the third man in history to defend a men's marathon title. Nageeye, of the Netherlands (2:09:58) and Abdi (2:10:00), pipped Kipchoge's compatriot Lawrence Cherono to the remaining podium places.
The company also supports multiple Olympic champion Mo Farah, who raced alongside Bashir during the Djibouti half-marathon, part of the latter's training programme ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.
Abdi is a Somali-Belgian athlete who qualified for the 2016 Olympics and won silver in the 10,000m at the 2018 European Athletics Championships.
Winning an Olympic medal was the icing on the cake for all his hard work and the support he received from corporate institutions like Dahabshiil which ensured he got the best training and competitive opportunities.
The company, which operates in Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Ethiopia also supports other sports initiatives as well as other community, health, education and development programmes as part of its corporate social responsibilities.
