ASVG and Podium Pursuit Partner to Power the 50MIA 2026 Public Vote

Fans across Africa and the diaspora can now vote for the 50 Most Influential African Women in Sports on the Podium Pursuit BOMA Digital Clubhouse until 30 November 2026.

ABU DHABI and CAPE TOWN, 1 November 2026.

Africa Sports Ventures Group (ASVG), organiser of the 50 Most Influential African Women in Sports (50MIA), has partnered with Podium Pursuit, the operating system of the Athlete Economy, to host the 2026 public vote. From today, fans can meet all 77 nominees from 18 nations and cast their votes in the Podium Pursuit BOMA Digital Clubhouse app and at 50mia.podiumpursuit.africa.

Under the partnership, Podium Pursuit provides the digital home for the 2026 honours. Every nominee has a profile with her story, key achievements and official nomination card. Fans pick one nominee in each of seven categories and submit a single ballot, with one ballot per email address. Voting closes on 30 November 2026, and ASVG will announce the winners on 25 December 2026.

The 2026 nominees include athletes, administrators, coaches, match officials, journalists, entrepreneurs and community builders. Among them are Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala, a record six-time African Women’s Footballer of the Year; Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon, the only woman to win three Olympic 1500m titles; Senegal’s Fatma Samoura, former Secretary General of FIFA; Rwanda’s Clare Akamanzi, CEO of NBA Africa; and South Africa’s Jessica Motaung, Marketing and Commercial Director of Kaizer Chiefs Football Club.

“50MIA exists to shine a light on the women who carry African sport, often without the recognition they deserve. Opening the 2026 honours to a public vote lets fans across the continent and the diaspora stand behind them. We chose Podium Pursuit because it gives every nominee a proper home for her story and gives every fan a simple, fair way to vote, and that is exactly what these women have earned.”

Leslie Koroma Sr, Founder and CEO, Africa Sports Ventures Group

“The women on this list build African sport every day, often far from the cameras. Giving them a home on Podium Pursuit means every profile, every story and every vote adds to their visibility, and visibility is where value starts in the Athlete Economy. We are proud to partner with ASVG to bring the whole continent and its diaspora into the vote.”

Rebecca Eliot, Co-Founder and CEO, ProTouch™ Sports and Podium Pursuit

The partnership brings together ASVG’s long-standing recognition of African women in sport with Podium Pursuit’s verified athlete identity and fan engagement platform, which already serves more than 6,000 elite African athletes.

The Podium Pursuit Voting Platform

Podium Pursuit built a dedicated voting platform for 50MIA 2026, available on the web at 50mia.podiumpursuit.africa and inside the Podium Pursuit app. It is designed to make voting quick, fair and accessible on any phone:

• Every nominee in one place. Fans browse all 77 nominees by category, name, sport or nation, read each nominee’s story and achievements, and view her official nomination card.

• One clear ballot. Fans choose one nominee in each of the seven categories, review their picks and submit in a few taps.

• Fair by design. Each email address can submit one ballot, and every ballot is time-stamped and recorded securely, with live tallies for the organisers.

• Built for mobile Africa. The platform is fully mobile responsive and light to load, so fans on any network can vote quickly.

The BOMA Digital Clubhouse

The vote lives in the BOMA, Podium Pursuit’s Digital Clubhouse for fans of African sport. In the BOMA, fans can follow the 50MIA nominees, join the conversation in fan chats, like and share nominee profiles, and keep up with results and stories from African athletes across every sport. After voting closes, the BOMA will carry the countdown to the winners’ announcement on 25 December 2026.

How to Vote

1. Download Podium Pursuit from the App Store or Google Play, or visit 50mia.podiumpursuit.africa.

2. Open 50MIA 2026 and choose a category.

3. Tap Vote on one nominee in each category.

4. Submit your ballot with your name and email address.

Key Dates

Milestone Date

Public voting opens 1 November 2026

Voting closes 30 November 2026, 23:59 SAST

Winners announced 25 December 2026.