12 Jun 2022

Botswana Amateur Fencing Federation will send only four out of 12 players to represent Botswana at the Senior African Championships slated for Casablanca, Morocco.

The four membered National Fencing team leaves on Saturday ahead of the games scheduled for June12-20. 

Team Botswana entails two female fencers Kate Lebuile and Aobakwe Modise, while Tshepo Chigu and Koketso Masena make the men’s category. 

In an interview on Wednesday, the team’s technical director and coach, Sam Chape said lack of funding and sponsorship had prevented the association from  send the whole team.  

Chape said taking the whole team would have exposed them to the sport’s new techniques, among other new developments, especially that the sport originates from that region.  

He further said the players would have used the games as a tester ahead of the World Championship billed for Cairo, July 15 and for the Commonwealth Fencing games billed for London, August 15. 

Botswana will be a first timer at the African Fencing Championships, which annual event is African Fencing Confederation’s top level fencing meet. Chape said Botswana was targeting at least two bronze medals from the games. 

The federation’s public relations officer, Neo Kerebotswe, decried investors’ lack of interest in the sport. She blamed such a state for athletes’ failure to build worthwhile profiles. 

Kerebotswe said Botswana National Sports Commission (BNSC) funds were not enough to meet the fencing fraternity’s financial needs, thus appealing for partnership and sponsorship for the federation’s grassroot development programmes as the desire was to take the sport to the people. 

Currently the federation has centres in Gaborone, Francistown and Serowe. Kerebotswe further said lack of support would render fewer prospects for players to continue their sport or pursue professional sport careers.

She said lack of talent-building opportunities in Botswana led to less return on the little investment put into local talent, further debilitating local sport development structures and sport career pathways. 

Kerebotswe said the federation had been doing its best in moving to the next level by competing in various meets. 

She, however, said those competitions were not enough as players faced challenges such as shortage of equipment and  sporting kit, which forced most fencers to use their personal finances, though never enough to cover their needs. 

“We need to have all fencers with the right kit, from jackets, plastron, gloves, breeches and socks,” she said. Kerebotswe indicated that fencing was similar to chess though it required both the physical prowess and mental ability. 

“Based on the sword fighting, fencing demands speed anticipation, reflexes and great mental strength,” she said. 

She said fencing was the recreational sports of swordplay that could be enjoyed by people of all ages.  

It offers a multitude of benefits, both physical and mental, in which fencers learn to hone their strategies against opponents of varying skill levels, and build up physical endurance, agility and accuracy. She, therefore, said through participation in fencing, confidence and sportsmanship were gained and traits extended throughout other aspects of life. 

Kerebotswe, therefore, encouraged parents to bring their children as young as five Fencing would help mould them. 

“There are beginner classes for every age group category, ranging from the benjamins 5-8 years, the cadets 9-13, juniors 14-18, seniors 19-39 and veterans from 40 and above. The veterans category can be joined for fun, fitness or even train to compete,” she said. Ends