03 Dec 2024

Director of Sport in the Ministry of Sport and Arts, Moreetsi Bogosi has advised athletes during the National Athletes Forum recently, to guard against using performance-enhancing substances. 

He said athletes’ career requires them not only to be physically fit to compete, but holistically developed to face life after retirement.

Bogosi said he was happy that the forum addressed a lot of pertinent issues, amongst them the use of supplements, mental health, competition manipulation, planning for retirement, investing in property, branding, sponsorship and marketing. 

In that regard, Bogosi said he was confident that the list of topics discussed were carefully selected based on the feedback the commission gets from athletes through interactions.

“My wish dear athletes, is that your presence here, in one place with experts is not just a learning opportunity from them, but that you leave this place with something practical. That this gathering will be a reference point sometimes in your life,” he said. 

Bogosi said the Olympic movement has athletes at the centre of its existence, adding it was for this reason that the Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC) has done the same in offering unwavering support to the Athletes Commission to ensure that the voice of the athletes was heard at every national and international fora.

“I therefore wish to introduce to you the chairperson of the Athletes Commission, Oteng Oteng. He is a former boxer and Olympian, and he sits on the BNOC Board representing the views of athletes,” he said. 

The BNOC vice president, Tshepo Sitale, said he was confident that the forum would provide athletes with a platform to discuss various challenges they face, as well as to learn and to interact with their peers from various corners of the country, and the various sporting codes. 

He said the role of an athlete throughout their career, and post active participation in sport was complex, and therefore the BNOC has endeavoured to create a programme, which speaks to all critical milestones along their journey. 

“The overarching goal, however, is to provide a conducive environment, which would foster their success as an athlete, and lead to their overall personal growth,” he said.

The forum, he said was an opportunity for them to come together, to share knowledge, and to build a stronger, more resilient sporting community.

“Let us work together to ensure that our athletes not only reach the pinnacle of their sporting careers but also leave a legacy that is rooted in integrity, health, and sustainable success,” he said. Ends