10 Dec 2015

Completion of Francistown Sports Complex is a sign of government’s commitment to use sport as a catalyst for economic diversification.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the facility in Francistown yesterday (December 10), President Lt Gen. Seretse Khama Ian Khama said sport was a global multi-billion pula industry capable of generating wealth and employment at various levels.

He said sport tourism was an emerging sector that had  potential to contribute significantly to the economy.

“This facility should therefore be used to promote sport tourism by hosting regional, continental and international competitions,” said the President.

He explained that premier sporting events always attract crowds either locally in the city or the rest of the country and in some cases, visitors could come from across borders to participate in or watch events.

President Khama urged the small and medium enterprises in Francistown to utilise the stadium for business opportunities.

He said the senior national football team’s international matches and a number of be Mobile Premiership matches provided a test for the functionality of the stadium and he was pleased that it had passed.

However, he called on the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture and the city council to work together to address any minor challenges that might had been observed, adding that government recognised the provision of high quality sport facilities as a critical element of sport development.

“To this end, we will continue to prioritise construction of facilities in accordance with the set location criteria to ensure equitable access to facilities distribution throughout the country,” he said.

Minister of Youth, Sport and Culture, Mr Thapelo Olopeng said Francistown Sports Complex had become a beacon of sport excellence because for the first time in the history of football, 26 600 people filled the facility to the brim, with more than 3 000 outside hoping to get in during the Zebras and Mali match.

Mr Olopeng said the facility was hosting the fourth Botswana Games and it was for the first time in the history of the games to be hosted outside Gaborone.

In her welcome remarks, Francistown mayor, Ms Sylvia Muzila thanked government for the facility, which was the first of its kind in the country in terms of design and capacity.

She noted that the stadium had so far brought the positive change in terms of making the city vibrant both socially and economically. Ends