08 Jul 2014

Botswana Tennis Association chairperson, Nelson Amanze has expressed concern over lack of commitment shown by some clubs who have a tendency of defaulting in paying affiliation fees, lack of activities in clubs and lack of effective committees amongst others.

He raised the concern at Botswana Tennis Association ordinary general meeting in Serowe on July 6. For their part, delegates who comprised of coaches and players from different teams from around the country expressed concern over the criteria used to select the national team.

They said lack of transparency in the selection criteria had caused complaints and that it might be the reason the association experienced some challenges.

They said there was need to have the criteria reviewed and to introduce the ranking system to avoid complaints. Most said as a result parents were not willing to release their children to take part in competitions.

In response, Amanze dismissed the concerns and said rumours which fuel the speculation that there was favouritism when selecting national team players was wrong, as they always strive to make sure that they were fair as they consider performance.

He appealed to affiliates to desist from discussing the association’s issues with the media as that has proven to be destructive to the association, players and the sport as a whole.

Meanwhile, the chairperson hailed the launch of ‘Reba bona ha’ as a success and said they were currently trying to ensure that tennis was included in schools of excellence.

He said this should not be a problem because the country boasts of at least 32 coaches certified by the International Tennis Federation and that they were in the process of training teachers.

Moreover, he said before the end of the year the association would introduce wheelchair tennis for disabled athletes in Gaborone and surrounding areas before spreading it to other areas.

Amanze said they were looking to get more partners to buy into the idea, especially the Office of the President because they have a unit of disabled people. ENDS