06 Dec 2016

Team Botswana left Tuesday(December 6) for Angola where they will compete in African Union Sport Council Region5 (AUSC Region5) from December 9-19.

A total of 61 athletes from Botswana will compete in different sporting codes ranging from Athletics, Netball, Boxing, and Swimming According to their website, AUSC Region5 (AUSC Region5) is the sports arm of the African Union, which was once the Organisation of African Unity.

It was formed in the 1960s, and its headquarters is based in Yaoundé, Cameroon. The main aim of the AUSC is to use sports to achieve peace, integration and unity in Africa and use sport as a vehicle of encouraging people to develop and come together, irrespective of colour, economic status, political, class, or gender.

However speaking at the send-off ceremony on Monday (December 5), Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development Thapelo Olopeng urgent athletes to take sport seriously as it was no longer perceived as entertainment but as can also create employment. “As the Minister responsible for Sport Development, I spend sleepless nights thinking of how we can turn sport into a rewarding venture.

One of my dreams is to turn Botswana into an athletics country, while investing and developing other sporting codes,” he said.

Furthermore, he said Botswana athletes’ performance in international events, serve as a great motivation for the government to further develop sport in the country.

The achievements, he said had inspired his ministry to think of better ways of supporting sport, as well as to make it more rewarding to athletes, adding over and above the subventions they give to the BNSC to financially support sport, they continue to devise innovative ways of developing sport in the country.

Minister Olopeng further said he had all the reasons to be elated when sending-off Team Botswana to the Games given that he was cognisant that the team was highly motivated and was ready to take up any challenge, in order to raise the flag high .

“Team Botswana has repeatedly assured us that they can excel at any competition. Their performance at the Rio 2016 Olympics is a testimony of the teams’ ability.

Our team can do better, and I stand tall to affirm that they will do better at this year’s AUSC Region 5 under 20 Youth Games, “he said. Botswana National Sport Commission Chairperson, Solly Reikeletseng said preparation for major games was a very lengthy and involving process, adding that the send–off ceremony symbolises the end of many days of team preparation.

He said whilst in Luanda they should remain courageous and open minded about the competition.

Meanwhile Government has chartered an aircraft with a sitting capacity of 126 people from Air Botswana, which will ferry 61 athletes, 30 officials and 12 technical officials. ENDS