18 Aug 2015

The chairperson of the Jwaneng Inter-mine Committee, Peter Motsilanyane has said that the annual Debswana Inter-mine games have so far lived to their expectations since they were introduced.

Speaking in an interview after the weekend-long games that took place in Jwaneng and Orapa, he said the intention of the competitive games was to promote h

He also noted that they were intended to enhance networking between employees as well as to celebrate each other. Motsilanyane said this kind of interaction was not only good for the body and mind of the employees but also contributed to a productive workforce.

He explained that this year the games were more improved because they wanted to reduce the number of queries from teams. He said even though they always have safety measures in place for anything that might arise during the games, they recorded two incidents which landed two athletes in hospital.

Motsilanyane stated that in one incident, a cyclist was injured after he collided with another and he sustained injuries. He also said a softball player was also hit by a ball and injured his collar bone but both athletes were treated at the hospital and discharged.

Further, Jwaneng Inter-mine Committee chairperson noted that they were in the process of engaging relevant authorities to look into improving the games especially the aspect of athletes’ fitness.

He said since the games take place once a year, most participants were not fit to compete. He said they were working on strengthening inter-departmental games in order to keep the players fit throughout the year.

He also noted that they were intending to improve the regulations in order to improve the standard of the competitions and also to reduce loopholes that might lead to queries.

Meanwhile, the Jwaneng team became the champion after beating their Orapa counterparts 14 points to 10, while the Debswana headquarters failed to register a point.

Speaking at the prize giving ceremony, the Jwaneng Mine general manager, Albert Milton acknowledged that there was more that the management could to do to support the teams, which he said should not only be limited to participation in the games.

He applauded the Orapa team for a healthy competition which resulted in a close tie between the two teams. “I must pay tribute to team Orapa for an amazing sportsmanship,” he said. BOPA