MYSC launches Play Sober Win Strong campaign
15 Jul 2024
In a bid to promote health, integrity, and excellence in the sporting community and beyond, Ministry of Youth, Gender, Sport and Culture launched, Play Sober, Win Strong campaign Friday at Tsolamosese in Mogoditshane.
Launching the campaign, Minister Tumiso Rakgare’s call to action was supported by sobering statistics from the World Health Organisation (WHO) specifically from the World Drug Report and a 2017 Desk Review of the Botswana National Alcohol Policy to highlight the harsh realities of alcohol and drug use, globally and within Botswana.
Citing the overwhelming number of deaths, disorders, and developmental burdens associated with alcohol consumption, Minister Rakgare emphasised the urgent need for a culture shift towards a healthier lifestyle, with sport at its heart.
“Bringing it home, a 2017 Desk Review of the Botswana National Alcohol Policy stated that Botswana was grappling with a growing alcohol problem, which was increasingly becoming burdensome to the country’s development,” he said.
Further, he underscored the importance of sports in the campaign citing a 2018 study on alcohol and drug use which found that 16.7 per cent of secondary school pupils were reported to use illicit drugs while 42.1 per cent were reported to use alcohol.
The minister emphasised that these figures reinforced the pressing need for a concerted effort to mitigate the risks posed by substance abuse and to harness the transformative power of sports to foster health, integrity and excellence in the nation’s young people.
Against the backdrop of this alarming evidence, Minister Rakgare said the Botswana National Sport Commission realised the urgent need to step in, forging a timely partnership with the Alcohol Levy fund to launch the, Play Sober, Win Strong campaign, a strategic initiative aimed at redirecting the energy of young people towards physical activity, mental focus and ethical behavior instead of succumbing to the pitfalls of substance abuse.
Nonetheless, he said the timing of the campaign was deliberate coming on the heels of the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking and ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games where the nation would witness the campaign ambassadors in action.
Rakgare said the Play Sober, Win Strong was more than a catchphrase but rather, an invitation to all athletes, coaches, supporters and Batswana to pledge allegiance to a life of clarity, strength, and excellence.
“The ripple effects of substance abuse are immense, and they spread far beyond the individual,” minister Rakgare cautioned stating that they also affected families, teams and communities.
In addition he said through the campaign, they aimed to educate, support and inspire athletes and the public to make healthier choices that would benefit them on and off the field.
“This way, we should see our competitive athletes staying in sport for prolonged periods of time and maintaining peak performance, while the general public would be able to live long and very healthy lifestyles,” he said.
The campaign will feature a series of workshops, educational programs, and mentorship initiatives and activities will be led by some past and present athletes among them Leungo Scotch, Amantle Montsho and Onkabetse Nkobolo.
Minister Rakgare further explained that the Play Sober, Win Strong ambassadors would include athletes who had never touched alcohol or drugs as well as those who had experienced the consequences firsthand.
For their part the campaign ambassadors shared their personal stories, revealing the dreadful effects of substance abuse and in doing so, lent a human face to the campaign’s message of hope. Their narratives, some saddening some cautionary emphasised that success in life and sport required an unwavering commitment to sobriety and healthy choices. Ends
Source : BOPA
Author : Lindi Morwaeng
Location : MOGODITSHANE
Event : ‘Play Sober, Win Strong’ campaign launch
Date : 15 Jul 2024
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