12 Nov 2024

Botswana Athletics Association (BAA) vice president-technical, Kenneth Kikwe says the association is committed to intensifying training of more coaches in different levels in a bid to produce more elite athletes.

Some training, he said, would be done online while some would be done physically to produce the next generation of well-informed coaches and sport leaders.

He made the remarks during a dinner organised by the Maun Track and Field Club over the weekend to appreciate their athletes who formed part of the Olympic Team that represented the country at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Kikwe said the country has been dominating in the 400m and 200m races and believed that if coaches acquired the right skills and knowledge, athletes could excel in more races at all levels.

He also appreciated the North West region for its invaluable contribution towards sport development and growth, noting that the region has something special as it has been feeding the national team with stars that represent the country internationally.

We have Centres of Sport Excellence in areas such as Mogoditshane Senior Secondary School and Goodhope Senior Secondary School aimed at creating an environment where athletes study and participate in sports, but Maun has proven to be a centre on its own as local clubs here continue to produce talented and dedicated athletes,” he added.

He acknowledged the clubs affiliated to the BAA such as Lefika Athletics Club and Maun Club for honouring and appreciating the Olympic Team and assured them their support.

Kikwe also informed the gathering that efforts were underway to certify all stadiums to ensure they match the international standard and host internationals competitions.

He said they also intend to revive the Re Ba Bona Ha programme, a grassroots initiative aimed at identifying talent and develop it. 

The programme also aims at introducing children to sport at a tender age and develop their athletic abilities.

He also agreed that the Maun Sports Complex needed thorough maintenance so that it could be amongst those that would be certified. 

Athletes were also warned about doping to ensure clean sports. While he appreciated that athletes were not living a normal life, he emphasised the need to prevent doping in sports.

However, earlier on, the Maun Track and Field Club chairperson, Ralph Ledimo, requested the BAA to engage the Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) to speed up the maintenance of Maun Sports Complex saying the facility is ideal to host certain national competitions.

Currently, he said athletes were forced to travel long distances to participate in competitions because they were disadvantaged by the bad state of the facility.

Meanwhile, recently one of the Olympian medalists from the region, Leungo Scotch, appealed to the then Minister of Youth, Gender, Sports and Culture, Tumiso Rakgare, to consider refurbishing the facility, which he said has contributed to his growth in sport.

 He was of the view that by maintaining the facility to a high standard, it would help the country to intensify its global competitiveness.

“This is the facility that I trained in to become a champion I am today but currently its poor state leaves a lot to be desired.  Even the running track is in a terribly poor condition and yet it is used by some national athletes for training and I plead with you my minister to consider maintaining the facility to match the international standard,” he added.

The BNSC board representative, Geoffrey Gare, also decried the bad state of the facility last year during his visit saying the dilapidated facility needs serious attention more so that it is used by some national athletes for training. Ends