15 Jun 2016

COPA Coca-Cola is said to be an excellent example of a brand harnessing the power of sport to get more young people to play sport,

Speaking during  the 2016 COPA Coca-Cola launch on Tuesday, Kgalagadi Breweries Limited, marketing manager Peo Porogo said COPA Coca-Cola also gives  young people ambitions and to potentially discover their talent regardless of their circumstances.

“The playing field and opportunity is open to all those who seek it, we should always remember that sport is not only about winning, it is as much about bouncing back, picking yourself up after setbacks,” she said.

Porogo further said in an effort to unlock new potential they were launching their 2016 COPA Coca-Cola competition open to every school going children in the country under 16.

She said other objectives of the tournament were to create permanent sporting legacy in Botswana, to offer young people more opportunities to be involved in sport and to harness positive sporting values and to revive the culture of good, competitive sports in every school in Botswana. Botswana Integrated Sports Association (BISA) president Joshua Gaotlhobogwe, said the first year of the relationship with COPA Coca-Cola was not smooth which was due to the fact that it was at an infancy stage hence challenge were bound to be experienced.

As they progressed with their relationship, he said things improved significantly, and COPA Coca-Cola proved to be a very honest partner and they had impacted positively on the lives of school going children.

He said this year marks the third and last year of their relationship with COPA Coca-Cola, adding the initial plan for the company was to sponsor boys under 15 as it was the practice in the region.

Gaotlhobogwe, therefore applauded COPA Coca-Cola for heading their plea to enrol both Under 15 and Under 17 boys and girls, adding that was a risk the company was ready to take despite having their mandate outlined to them.  Gaotlhobogwe, however said the relationship had started realising intended goal of identifying athletes who would eventually be promoted to the junior national teams.

He said in the last two years, some of their players were sent to South Africa to join others boys from the region to share life skills and get special training football skills. Two of their players would be sent to France to take part in a tournament as part of their sponsorship package.ENDS