The name Mark Manolios has been synonymous with Zimbabwe sport for almost 40 years. That's when the first - and still the flagship - Mark Manolios Sports (MMS) retail shop was opened on 13 August 1973 at the Avondale Shopping Centre in Harare. That remained the sole centre of excellence in supply and advice for sports equipment in Zimbabwe until 2012 when, sensing the moment, two new branches were opened in quick succession in Harare.
Mark Manolios has proudly supported Zimbabwean sport for over 50 years
In May MMS opened in the stylish Arundel Village - an ideal location that juts into the rear car park and, at 86 sq m, is double the size of MMS Avondale. Then a Chisipite Shopping Centre branch opened in September 2012 on the Bon Marche side. MMS has served Zimbabwe sports enthusiasts with distinction and has never wavered in providing excellence in trusted advice, widest array of distinguished brands and in sheer dogged perseverance, surviving through a decade of tumult in Zimbabwe that featured damaging hyper-inflation. Now the green shoots of a growth path are evident to the benefit of a large group of loyal followers.
MMS stands proudly as the official stockist – and therefore the most trusted source - of many famous brands, such as Dunlop, Slazenger, Canterbury, Kookaburra ,Gryphon, OBO, Medalist, Hi-Tec, Olympic, Asics, Adidas, Title, Stormforce, Wilson. That’s an unrivalled array in Zimbabwe!
The tag “doyen” of Zimbabwe sport is richly earned
Mark Manolios – the Nine Olympics Man
Few can match the all-round pedigree of the man himself. Mark Manolios has remained a passionate and committed disciple of Zimbabwe sport since his school days at Prince Edward more than 50 years ago when he played 1st team hockey in 1955.
The tag “doyen” of Zimbabwe sport is richly earned. Consider the astounding fact that he has attended nine Olympic Games in the capacity as coach or administrator.
In those capacities, on the international stage, he has set the bar extraordinarily high. He was national hockey coach from 1970-85 during the golden years of our nation's hockey, developing world-class players such as Gerald Peckover and Alan Peake, and leading several highly successful overseas tours, the like of which have never been matched by any Zimbabwean sports team in a global- class arena.
Consider beating European champions Spain twice in one week at the Eight Nations Tournament. World-rated German teams used the travel to Zimbabwe to develop the sport and, because of the strong bonds forged with Mark Manolios, the Germans used to host many schoolboy and schoolgirl teams and subsidise them.
Mark Manolios was a member of the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee for 26 years, ending as vice-president, and he is now in his fourth term as a member of the Zimbabwe Sports Commission. He has been an international umpire, member of the world hockey body FIH and many other accolades that have enriched Zimbabwe sports.
And today the man himself is still at your service ready to guide individuals, organisations and schools in their selection of the correct and most relevant sports equipment.