27 Nov 2022

 Botswana is working round the clock to successfully deliver a World Athletics event next year.  

Gaborone International Meet organisers successfully hosted bronze status event, which satisfied the World Athletics that later approved organisers’ application to be upgraded from bronze to gold status, the second highest level of international competitions.

Presenting a report at BNSC annual general meeting in Gaborone recently, BNSC chairperson, Marumo Morule, said hosting a golden status event, which would attract the world’s finest track and field stars, would market Botswana in more than 150 countries.

Morule said while they regretted that they could not resuscitate school sport in 2022, adding a lot was going on as they had a series of consultations between Ministries of Youth, Gender, Sport and Culture, education, local government and some trade unions. He said plans were underway to finalise a model of how athletes in public schools would have opportunities for playing sport and the intention was to start in January 2023.

Morule said BNSC acknowledged the importance of extracurricular activities in schools as sport had been proven to be key to the overall development of young people and in certain instances it also contributed to better results, leadership and other qualities as well as attendance of school by learners.

Regarding performance rewards and incentive policy he said a new performance rewards and incentive Policy for National teams was introduced in April 2022 and it addressed the gender disparity that has been there for some time.

He said men and women and/or teams attaining comparable results in similar competitions were rewarded the same.

Morule said unlike in 2012 instrument they were now rewards and incentives for junior athletes, commensurate with their level of competition.

He said the reward for an Olympic Gold medal has increased by 150 per cent from P100 000 to P250 000 and a record from commonwealth Games would now earn an athlete P75 000 an increase of 150 per cent from the P30 000 in the old instrument.

Regarding any podium finish at the Olympic Games athletes would earn a two bed-roomed house.

For his part, BNSC chief executive officer, Tuelo Serufho, said their biggest challenge to the commission and Botswana sport in general is ensuring consistency and some athletes would show great potential at one competition, then become shadows of themselves at the next ones.

Serufho said the record of two adverse doping findings from athletics within any one month period is amongst issues that would diminish the pride Batswana derive form their athletes and teams.  ENDS