Thabani Gonye ‘96 had a front-row seat for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as president of the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee (ZOC). Gonye grew up in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, but has lived in the country’s capital, Harare, since 1997. After transferring from a junior college in Texas, Gonye came to Augustana as an accounting and business administration double major and student-athlete on a track & field scholarship. He still holds Augustana records in the men’s indoor and outdoor 4x400 meter relays and men’s outdoor 100-meter dash.
Q: Why did you choose to attend Augustana?
A: I chose Augustana for its Christian values and for its aspiration to produce reformers, change-makers and transformational leaders who find solutions to every problem.
Q: What jobs/positions have you had since graduating from Augustana?
A: After returning to Zimbabwe, I have worked for Barzem Enterprises, a Caterpillar dealership in Harare. I began in July of 1997 as a service accountant, and in 2007, I became an assistant parts manager. In 2008, I was promoted to a national parts manager position, and in 2011, I was promoted to my current position of operations manager.
Q: How long have you been involved with the Olympics?
A: I have been involved with the Olympic Movement since 2003 — first as a finance commission member with the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee and then as treasurer and chairperson of the Finance Commission. I became vice president of the committee in 2013, and was most recently elected president in April.
Q: You held the role of chef de mission for Zimbabwe at the 2008 Beijing Olympics — what did being chef de mission of the Games entail?
The main role of chef de mission is to effectively manage the Zimbabwe Olympic Team before, during and after the games. This includes management and coordination of preparation, qualification and administrative processes, such as meeting attendance, accreditation, budgets, team travel and coordination of all team activities at the games.
At the games, this role includes the allocation of team rooms, management of the team office at the Olympic Village, drawing up the team’s activity schedule, monitoring training and competition activities, team welfare issues and all other high-level authorizations, along with creating the final report for the team regarding observations and recommendations.
Q: What did your day-to-day responsibilities look like at the Olympic Games?
A: For the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, I was initially appointed as chef de mission and prepared the team through the postponement period up to my election as president in April.
As a National Olympic Committee (NOC) president, I was in constant liaison with the chef de mission to visit and support athletes, team activities and competitions. Part of the role of NOC president is attending engagements with the Olympic family — International Olympic Committee, Olympic Solidarity Commission, Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa and fellow NOCs — along with other stakeholders, such as the embassy, governments and other guests.
Q: What was your favorite part of being involved with the Olympics in this capacity?
A: In both roles, meeting all the athletes of different backgrounds in one village who are competing at the highest level within the Olympic values is a lifetime memory to cherish. I also enjoyed exchanging pins and small gifts, and sharing ideas on how we can improve our nations and be proud of our representation in the games.
Q: How did Augustana prepare you for the successes you’ve had throughout your career?
A: It made me appreciate that life is a journey with opportunities disguised as problems to be solved along the way. I learned to appreciate my faith and understand who I am. I learned about perseverance through difficult moments and finding ways to sustain myself with the support system and structures that Augustana had for international students.
I learned to live in a diverse yet inclusive community for students from different countries who embraced each other as part of a family of international students. Thank you to Donn Grinager, former director of the International Programs Office (IPO), for being our mentor and guide as foreign students.
Q: Did competing for Augustana and being part of the track & field team prepare you for managing an Olympic team?
Competing for Augustana exposed me to the NCAA system and structures, and how order can bring out the best in athletes. I also learned a lot about managing a college team from my late coach, Vance Butler. May his dear soul rest in peace.
Our team was small, compact and stood for each other in tough times. I learned how you can overcome adversity when given encouragement and support. I also learned that it is not how many times you fail or fall, but how you pick yourself up to keep going towards destiny without giving up.
