04 Aug 2016

When Team Botswana enters the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro in the early hours of Saturday, the Marobela born Nijel Amos will lead the team as a flag bearer.

Team Botswana chef de mission, Moses Moruisi, confirmed in an interview that the appointment was done by Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC).
And Moruisi said not all the team members would attend the opening ceremony.

“About five athletes and an equal number of officials will be parading.  This is because the majority of our team members are still training at an exclusive location outside of Rio and will only come into Rio on August 9 ahead of the start of the athletics competitions on August 12,” he said.

He further said  the decision to keep the athletes away from Rio and the Olympic village was for them to have greater focus on their training as well as unlimited access to facilities.

“This is what other successful countries have done in the past and worked quite well for them and we have determined it can work for us too,” said Moruisi.

Meanwhile, BNOC chief executive officer, Tuelo Serufho stated that the profile of a flag bearer was often read when the delegation enetered the stadium.

“That alone presents an opportunity for an athlete's achievements to be celebrated by the world,” he said.

Furthermore, he said this also profiled the country that the athletes represented.

“Remember, there are some people around the world who may have never heard of Botswana or who may have no clue of where the country is located.  Some of such people however may know the top sport stars from this country and it would therefore be important that they make the connection, for them to potentially develop an interest in the country,” Seruho said.

He said in selecting a flag bearer, the BNOC considered, amongst other things, the athlete’s performance in major games the interest spectators were likely to have on the athlete, gender balance and leadership potential.

Furthermore, Serufho said Amos therefore became a natural choice because not only was he Botswana’s sole Olympic medallist to date, but he was one of the most recognisable members of Team Botswana.

Amos, he said, had been an inspiration to his team mates and over the years demonstrated his support to fellow athletes and had shown great leadership potential.

He said the 800 metre runner was an enigma in 2012 that surprised many by winning a silver medal and setting a joint third all-time fastest time in 800 metres and he was also credited by some of his team mates such as Boitumelo Masilo for their qualification.

In one of his interviews, Masilo said Amos encouraged him to train hard, shared some tips with him and even borrowed him the clothes he wore when he qualified for the Olympic Games, after his bag got lost during travel.

Amos was reportedly a big brother to younger team mates such as Baboloki Thebe and Karabo Sibanda, sharing experiences with them on how not to get lured by the fast paced city life.

As a flag bearer for Rio, Amos would be taking over from 400m sensation, Amantle Montsho, who had that role during the London 2012 Olympic Games. ENDS