04 Jun 2014

Apart from the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) Day annual celebrations, the now revamped National Stadium seldom hosts spectacular and jaw dropping events of that magnitude.

The city of Gaborone, where the stadium is located, has for a long time been known only as the nation’s capital and has not really outdone itself in hosting big events as it did recently during the second African Youth Games (AYG).

Under the stewardship of chairperson of the Botswana African Youth Games Organizing Committee (BAYGOC), Regina Vaka-Sikalesele, and her youthful chief executive officer, Tuelo Serufho, Botswana proved a point.

Not only did the organisers tread successfully into unknown territory, but the crowds at the various sporting codes venues rallied behind their fellow countrymen and women to give the much needed morale booster by the host nation.

The hosting of the games, according to some sport-loving Batswana, had proven to all and sundry that the country was more than ready to host even bigger and better events. A young woman, Khumo Kokwe, said there was no doubt that Botswana had the capacity given the recent youth games.

She opined that the country only needed to work on improving its infrastructure such as the roads network, as well as play around with the idea of increasing its stadium inventory by building some with larger capacities.

Kokwe added that there was need to trust local hands rather than foreign companies and personnel in organising such big and spectacular events. The private sector too, she noted, should not only come on board half-way through the preparations but should become part and parcel of any future hosting plans, so that the country could deliver to the world.

Another sport loving woman, Kefilwe Ndlovu said she doubted if the country could host even bigger events than the recent youth games. “It was just chaos around the city with some roads closed and some facilities such as those in Molepolole and Otse were just too far from the host city,” she argued.

Ndlovu called for the improvement of facilities in Gaborone so that the games could be exclusively held in the city, instead of going to other areas to access such venues.

Renowned sports presenter with Duma FM, Thabo Osekeng, said in his past travels to many African countries for sport events, he realised that Botswana had a competitive advantage in hosting.

“Basic necessities like water, transport and security are very important and most countries struggle to secure them unlike Botswana, where all that is abundant, or at least can easily be accessed,” he noted.

Osekeng said government also supported sports right from the top office, where the President, Lt Gen. Seretse Khama Ian Khama was a widely known sports person, which made sports augmentation achievable.

Already, Osekeng noted, the country boasted of world class sporting facilities such as the University of Botswana (UB) Olympic size swimming pool, the Botswana National Youth Council (BNYC) basketball courts, with the latter being one of only four of their type in Africa.

The award winning radio presenter, famously known as The Brand argued that in future, the organising committee should predominantly be made up of people within the sporting fraternity. This, he added, will help these people gain valuable experience, which they will eventually plough back into the growth of sport in the country.

With numerous African sporting events lined up in coming years such as the All Africa Games, the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and African Athletics Championships, Botswana has enough events to bid for.

Coupled with the completion of the Francistown Stadium next year in the country’s second city, more facilities such as airports, expansion of roads and the Brand Botswana rigorous campaign to sell the country to the world will rightfully put Botswana as deserving to be the host of the world once more. ENDS