13 Feb 2018

Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development Thapelo Olopeng has taken the lead in encouraging the nation to take to physical exercise. According to hi,. exercising was an important and essential part of mental and psychological well-being.

Olopeng who kick started the 2018 fitness day under the theme:Shed it off, said his ministry had been focusing on professional sports only which according to him was not inclusive hence inception of the National Fitness Day in 2015, which would be hosted second Friday of every month.

“Let me encourage you that every second Friday of the month we will be doing this country wide in places that host our offices,” he said.

He said at the ministry they prided themselves with “My Future, My Life, and My Responsibility” slogan, which emphasised that it was everybody’s responsibility to take part in the programme.

“We did it deliberately in 2015 when we started this programme. We didn’t want to concentrate on professional sport only. We wanted to encourage the nation to get used to it. Let’s make this our culture. You have no idea how content I get when I see fellow Batswana in the evening everyday jogging and cycling along the road. That excites me because as a nation we must be fit. When you are physically fit you become mentally fit,” he said

He said Wellness Day was also good for his ministry as far as teambuilding was concerned, adding that it was also during wellness activities, where they talked and mingle.

“They don’t see me as a boss. I am just another sportsman next to them. At the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development we don’t believe in a boss and subordinate relationship,” he said.

Olopeng, therefore encouraged all  departments to join them in preaching the importance of physical exercise as an  essential part of mental and psychological well-being. Ends