14 Jul 2022

The annual Mmathethe Sports Festival billed for Hatlhogang Community Centre during President’s Day holidays has potential to grow sport from grass roots level.

This year’s festival themed #ReKgwaMollo will witness different sporting teams battle it out for prizes sponsored by Mmathethe Sports Festival chairman, Marshlow Motlogelwa.

In an interview, Mmathethe Sports Festival public relations officer, Dops Baipidi said the aim of the festival was to feed different professional clubs with players.

 “Professional clubs would have the opportunity to scout at the festival,” he added.

Baipidi explained that this year’s festival would be bigger and better, adding the participating villages had been increased from 15 to 19.

He said the previous festival had attracted around 17 000 people and this year they were expecting around 22 000.

The PRO said different sporting codes that were expected to compete were football, netball, cycling, horse racing, tug of war, snooker and marathon.

Under marathon, he said there would be two categories being the first race for 50 years and below as well as fan race for 50 years and above.

Baipidi said for cycling only bicycles known as Hamba would be allowed on track.

Pertaining to prizes, he said first prize in football would walk away with P8 000, second P5 000, third and fourth P1 500 respectively, man of the match P1 900, while player, goalkeeper and coach of the tournament would each get P500, adding that promising young player and top goal scorer would also each win P500.

Baipidi said first prize in netball would get P5 000, second P3 500, third and fourth P1 000 respectively and as for man of the match, player, coach and goalkeeper of the tournament, promising young player as well as top goal scorer would each walk away with the same prizes as those for football.

The winner for the marathon would be P4 500 richer, while second and third would get P2 250 and P1 500 respectively.

Bicycle race winner, he said would get P1 500, second P 1000 while third prize would get P750. The winner for snooker will get P 3000, second P2 000 and third P1 000.

He said position one in tug of war would win P2 000, while second and third would win P1 000 and P750 respectively and P500 for fourth position.

Baipidi further indicated that the total prize money for horse race would be P45 000 and yet to make a breakdown of prizes while there will be a chairman award of P1 000.

He said the stalls would be sold for P100, which would be a once off payment for three days, with entrance fee being P10 for adults and P5 for children.

The PRO said that paramedics would be available throughout the festival in case of injuries and private security had been hired to ensure that everyone and their properties were secure. Ends