29 Jun 2022

 Botswana and Namibia (BONA) 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) bid committee has started work.

The committee has been tasked with working on the formal bidding process for the two countries to jointly host the 2027 AFCON tournament. 

Addressing the media in Gaborone on Tuesday, the Minister of Youth, Gender, Sport and Culture, Tumiso Rakgare, said, should the two countries win the bid, Botswana would host the final as well as the third place playoffs while Namibia would host the opening game.

He said Botswana and Namibia had agreed to collaborate on a 60:40 resource sharing principle, meaning Botswana would contribute 60 per cent of the resources needed for the project while Namibia would contribute 40. 

The same principle, he said, shall apply in sharing of proceeds and benefits of hosting. 

“In this arrangement, Botswana will host 24 of the 36 group stage matches, while Namibia will host 12. Botswana will host five of the round of 16 matches and Namibia will host three matches. The quarter finals and the semi-finals will be shared equally between the two countries. A bid technical committee was established with the chairperson coming from Botswana and the vice from Namibia,” he said. 

On review of Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) Act, Rakgare said even though the act was relatively new, there had been developments in the administration of sport at international level and therefore, there was need to address them.

“This includes the need to establish an independent body that coordinates anti-doping activities. The doping control and coordination function is currently a responsibility of BNSC, but this is not in compliance with the WADA Code of 2015 and the 2005 International Convention against Doping in Sport,” he said 

BNSC was established through an Act of Parliament (BNSC Act No. 30 of 2014) with the responsibility of providing leadership and guidance on sport development and promotion, among other things. 

Furthermore, he said for Botswana to be compliant, an independent doping control body had to be established by a separate act of Parliament. 

Rakgare said the BNSC Act did not clearly outline the responsibility of the Botswana National Olympics Committee (BNOC) and this had led to duplication, with potential for inefficiencies in resource utilisation. 

He said government, therefore, decided to enact a single apex sport body with a view to address the challenges experienced as a result of the current set up. 

The minister said the review of the BNSC Act was aimed at addressing issues that were critical in the development of sport and establishing sport as a sector that could meaningfully contribute to the economy of the country. 

 The review, Rakgare said, would also address issues of athlete welfare and protect the vulnerable against abuse and other forms of injustice as well as to clearly outline the responsibilities of BNSC and BNOC. He said the revised act had to outline responsibilities of national sporting associations in relation to the requirements of the envisaged national anti-doping organisation act. Ends