30 Aug 2016

Botswana only Paralympic athlete Keatlaretse Mabote has vowed to represent the country with dignity at the coming Paralympics competition to be held in Brazil from September 07-18.

Over 4,000 athletes from more than 160 countries are expected to compete in 22 different sporting codes

Mabote will represent the country in the men's 400m T12 and he said in an interview that despite the scrappy preparation, he would try his level best to at least reach the finals.

“In the finals everything is possible like any other athletes I will fight to at least win something for the country, “he said.

He said he failed to adequately train given that he had been training alone, adding that he qualified last year, and he was not given attention by relevant officers.

“Currently I don't have spikes, and training gear, the gear I am using was given to me while I was going to compete at the African Games”, he said.

He said whilst in Rio he focus would be on the competition given that he was not in any position to reverse all what happened to him.

However, Botswana National Olympic Committee, Chief Executive Officer Tuelo Serufho said his organisation just like they did for athletics, judo and swimming, they allocated budgets to PASSOBO for the qualification phase, post qualification and during Games time.

He said through such funding Mabote has inter alia been supported to compete in Tunisia, China and Germany, to attend a training camp in Potchefstroom with the athletics team as well as to commute from Mochudi to Gaborone for training.

Furthermore he said BNOC procured his and his Team Leaderships' hospitality kits that include formal suit traditional attire, tracksuits casual wear, adding for clothing they purchased him and his leadership exactly the same things as the Olympic Team.

Serufho said Mabote and his leadership have received their allowances for camping and/or competition at the same rate as Olympic Team.

“Regarding the Choppies incentives, we negotiated that the same figures were extended to the Paralympic Team”, he said. ENDS