18 Aug 2024

Debswana, De Beers Global Sight holder Sales and Diamond Trading Company Botswana collectively donated a polished diamond to each member of Team Botswana.

All 14 athletes, who represented the country at the just ended Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and members of the technical team each received the treasured stone, a Botswana flag lapel pin studded with diamonds and P60 000.

Speaking during an appreciation ceremony Friday in Gaborone, Debswana managing director, Andrew Motsomi said preparations for 2028 Olympic games to be held in Los Angeles should start now.

“Los Angeles 2028 is just around the corner. We must not allow the standard we’ve set to drop.

Our collective preparation for LA 2028 must begin now,” he said and encouraged the private sector to not only consider but prioritise investing in sport as a powerful enabler for the sustainable socio-economic development of the nation.

Motsomi also pleaded with policymakers and key stakeholders to continue to create a conducive environment that encouraged children and youth to actively participate in sport from a tender age.

“As Debswana, we’ve done our part by sponsoring the Re Ba Bona Ha grassroots sport development programme with a total of P6 million between 2022 and 2024.

But these efforts will be in vain without the support and involvement of other stakeholders,” said Motsomi.

In 2022 when Debswana committed P9 million to Botswana Athletics Association, Motsomi said their vision was to deliver athletes for Paris 2024 Olympics and bring home medals that would make every Motswana’s heart swell with pride.

“Today, that vision has been realised in the most spectacular way. We are here to honour 14 of our finest, Botswana’s Olympians, who competed with unmatched zeal and brought home unprecedented glory,” he said.

He however, advised that investment in sport must be anchored in strong governance and regular monitoring and evaluation, to ensure a win-win for all parties involved.

Sharing with the audience about his 200 metre final race, Letsile Tebogo said during the introduction of athletes he did not know what to do and he remembered Chelsea player, Cole Palmer who always celebrated by rubbing his arms as though he was cold.

“Palmer is a very good, that’s why he immediately came to my mind and he is my favourite player,” he said.

Tebogo said he would never forget some lady from the crowd who kept calling out Noah’s name.

“We were eight on the track, at least she should have also called out others.

Well, I took a deep breath, and at the back of my mind I knew I had won against Noah Lyles in the semi-finals, and I just assumed that he was not his normal self, and capitalised on that,” he said.

Meanwhile, Orange Botswana rewarded Tebogo, who is their brand ambassador with P500 000.

Tebogo’s personal coach, Dose Mosimanyane was also gifted P50 000, while the 4x400m relay team received P150 000.

The mobile operator had also supported Team Botswana with over P2 million before the Olympics and the company’s chief executive officer, Néné Maïga said just like the rest of the nation, they were proud of the athletes’ feat.

She said their partnership with the athlete was testament to their commitment of empowering young Batswana athletes and supporting them in reaching their full potential, adding that the victory was not just a win for Tebogo but for the entire nation.

Maïga said the win would membered by generation to come, in Botswana, Africa and the rest of the world.

Furthermore, she said Tebogo had set a new standard of excellence that would inspire other athletes in the country.

“And coach Dose you have shown us that with the right guidance, all athletes can reach the pinnacle of international competition,” Maïga said and also stated that the rewards were not only a celebration of success but a symbol of unwavering support for Botswana sporting excellence.

She said at Orange Botswana, they believed that greatness was achieved through a combination of talent, opportunity and support. Ends