19 Mar 2015

Sports View International club chairman, Glody Dube, says they are contemplating to find a way to help Amantle Montsho raise the P200 000 (US$20 000) before the 30-day appeal window elapses.

He said this in an interview following Botswana Athletics Association’s (BAA) president Moses Bantsi’s revelation that the 400m world champion had been slapped with a two-year suspension for doping.

The world athletics body, IAAF, however advised that the athlete could appeal. Montsho tested positive for a banned substance during the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the local tribunal banned her for two years from competitions.

The track champion tested for Class S6 Prohibited Substances Stimulants (methylhexaneamine/ dimethylpentaylamine).

Dube said they were worried by the harsh sentence as they had expected something lesser given that Montsho was a first offender. He also said the money needed for registering the appeal was too high.

“For us to appeal we should be having the required amount at hand and the only way out is appealing to the nation".

He said the BAA could not appeal as they were affiliated to IAAF while the Botswana National Olympics committee (BNOC) was also under the auspices of World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

He said this incident was a wake-up call for the associations, the clubs and for athletes to prepare for such incidents. Dube revealed that the club was yet to meet with the BAA for way forward to help the athlete.

He said they were not encouraging athletes to abuse substance but vying for a lesser term. Dube said this was an international practice, adding that appealing might save their athlete’s career.

BAA spokesperson Roland Masalila said Montsho’s situation was dicey for them. He said the association could not appeal on her behalf as they were ther prosecutors.

Masalila said although they appointed the tribunal, they felt the sentence was harsh given that it was the athlete’s first case. “Amantle is the only person who can appeal the sentence, not us or the BNOC. She is a national athlete that has always made us proud, and she is at the mercy of Batswana to help her.” ENDS