06 Jul 2022

 Botswana’s athletics team left for Oregon, United States on Tuesday where they will compete at the World Athletics Championships, July 15–24.

Botswana will make a debut in 100 metres through Letsile Tebogo and long jump in which Thalosang Tshireletso will take part.

The country will also line up in 400 metres, 800 metres and 4 x400 men’s relay.

Speaking at the send off ceremony, Debswana corporate affairs manager, Louis Baseki, said the company saw it necessary to partner with Botswana Athletics Association (BAA).

Earlier this year, Debswana announced a P9 million sponsorship to BAA, spread over a three-year period from 2022 to 2024.

“The rough diamonds in the form of Letsile Tebogo, Anthony Pesela and Thalosang Tshireletso. The polished diamonds in the form of: Leungo Scotch, Zibane Ngozi, Isaac Makwala and Nijel Amos, that is what we envisaged to witness,” he said.

 At the sponsorship launch, he said BAA promised to channel the sponsorship funds towards the preparation of major competitions such as the Africa Championships, World Championships, Commonwealth games and World Junior Championships as well as the road to Paris 2024 Olympics, adding ‘true to their word, we are here today to send-off the Team to the World Championships’.

“With the success that we have achieved recently at Tokyo Olympics 2020, Junior World Championships in Kenya and the Africa Championship in Mauritius, our athletes have proven that they can compete at the highest level and deliver silverware,” he said.

Baseki further said they were therefore confident that athletes would raise the country’s flag high at the the World Championships.

“Go and shine bright like a diamond! We will continue to support sport development as part of our Building Forever Sustainability strategy, as well as our commitment to supporting Botswana’s Vision 2036 and the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals,” he said.

Baseki said Debswana would continue to partner with BAA to unearth another crop of talented Batswana, which the current crop would pass the baton to in the next few years.

Botswana National Sports Commission (BNSC) chairperson, Marumo Morule, said athletes should continue to know their values and rights while respecting their body and its limits.

He said they should also avoid falling prey to the pressures of competition, by taking banned substances.

Doping, he said, was a serious issue at competitions and had ruined many lives and careers.

“I, however, stand firm in the knowledge that our anti-doping programmes are robust with information that they impart to all our athletes and as such you have both been equipped with the toolset to avoid such transgressions,” he said.

Morule said BAA fielded a strong team of nine men to compete at the World Athletics Championships, adding Botswana athletes were true conquerors, embodying the BAA values as they had successfully gone through the qualification process.

He said team Botswana recently participated at African Senior Championships in Mauritius, adding out of the 49 countries, Botswana ranked position six in overall of the participating nations.

The ranking, he said, was attained from winning four gold medals in 200metres men, long jump men, mixed relay and 4x400m men’s relay, while the two silver medals were won in triple jump men and 400m men and the bronze medal from 800m men.

‘’I would like to take this time, ladies and gentlemen, to acknowledge those who have devoted their time and energy to facilitate on the preparations for this championship,” he said.

He said the personal commitment and sacrifice that they had to endure did not go unnoticed, adding that government continued to plead to all those in the private sector to assist sporting structures.

 “We need our private sector partners to truly come to the fore with respect to offering assistance throughout the preparatory stages ahead of any major Game participation by Team Botswana athletes,” he said. 

 

Team Botswana

 

Long Jump: Thalosang Tshireletso

 

100metres: Letsile Tebogo

 

200 metres: Isaac Makwala

 

400 metres: Anthony Pesela, Bayapo Ndori, Isaac Makwala

 

4X400 metres:

Pesela, Ndori, Makwala, Leungo Scotch, Zibane Ngozi and Maitseo

 

800 metres: Nijel Amos