03 Nov 2024

 The Botswana Taekwondo Federation president says they are engaged in efforts to resuscitate the sport.

Tumelo Mapila said in an interview recently that already the federation had started the six-series challenge, which started in June until December.

He said the first challenge was in 2023 and it was now on its second year of running.

Mapila said the challenge was a plan that was hatched by the federation post the COVID-19 pandemic, a move meant to engage the athletes and grow Taekwondo.  He said the bare minimum that the federation committed to was to at least have a six series challenge annually.

Mapila said though equally hampered by financial constraints, as it was the case with many other sporting codes, it was important for the federation, with or without funds to come up with a workable plan.

He said the maiden series was held successfully, as players, and sport administrators appreciated the challenge.

He said the federation was committed to promote sport, support athletes and build a community that valued the principles of Taekwondo.

He said the federation was dedicated to incorporating Olympic values, ensuring safe sport practices and increasing women participation in Taekwondo.

Mapila said it was important to foster an inclusive and supportive environment for athletes, promote excellence and encourage more individuals to engage in the sport.

He encouraged players to continue loving and growing the sport, adding that their hard work and dedication had not gone unnoticed.

On the Taekwando Open President’s Cup held recently, he said hosting the tournament was in line with the requirements of the Africa Taekwondo calendar.

He said the countries that made it to the cup were Zimbabwe, eSwatini and Kenya.

He said the significance of the cup was that it supported the growth of athletes as they accumulated points to improve their rankings.

He said the officials also earned points to contribute to their rankings.

Prior to the cup, Mapila said the federation also conducted training for the referees, which was hosted by the World Taekwondo international referee from Lesotho.

He said hosting such tournaments was beneficial to the growth of Taekondo in Botswana as it also focused on training the officials such as referees and coaches.

Mapila said Taekwondo was a Korean martial art and was currently growing in the country, adding that it was an Olympic sport, which catered for everyone, including people with limited abilities  Even though loved by many, Mapila said the sport had few athletes and officials such as coaches.  He said the sport was concentrated in Gaborone and the federation was looking at getting more accredited coaches to take the sport to other parts of the country.

Outside Gaborone, he said one of the former players and now a coach has established a development facility in Francistown.  ENDS