25 Mar 2018

Senior Women National Softball team selection for World Championship to be held in Chiba, Japan from August 2-12 has not yet started.

Team Botswana and South Africa are the only African countries who qualified for the championship after knocking out Zimbabwe and Lesotho in Africa World Championship qualifiers in Pretoria, South Africa in January.

In an interview with team manager, Same Molete, she said despite not having a fully fledged team, the athletes were busy with the national league games around the country.

She said the league was used as feedback tool to monitor the athletes level of performance as well as pick some performing athletes to be considered for final selection at the upcoming camp.

For now, he said they would use the league for preparations as athletes would report for camp on April 27 for final selection of players from 21 to 17.

“Our camps will be from April to June in which the players would be given chance to go back to their respective teams,” she said.

She pointed out that the final camp was scheduled for July 18-26 adding that the players would leave for Chiba on July 27.

So far, Molete said coaches had managed to pick one player who would be used as a short stopper and she would be given the opportunity to attend next camp for final selection for the championship.

Further, she said they had submitted their budget to Botswana National Sport Commision and were expecting response anytime.

She added that Botswana National Olympic Committee had helped them throughout their preparations.

Technically, head coach Major Bobby Khupe said the athletes were currently participating in the national league to keep fit.

He said they were under the watchful eyes of the team leaders.

He said the team would be selected looking at the athletes’ current performance.

“I want to eliminate the spirit of incompetency among the players. They should not relax knowing they were in the national team and stopped working hard,” he added.

Despite financial constraints, which had led to cancellation of the camp, which was planned for this month, he said the athletes were doing well.

However, he said the time that would be spent on camp would not be enough as players needed time to get to know each other.

The coach said he needed five more players to beef up the squad noting that he strongly believed that before the April camp. he would have identified the players stating that a few individuals had been picked and were still being observed. Ends