30 May 2018

Athletics national championships are the marquee event for each and every National Sport Federation.

They bring out the best from each federation in terms of athletes, quality of competition, logistical preparations, technical preparedness and conduct of officiating, quality of administration.

They have a potential to attract sponsors as they usually attract multitudes of both spectators and participants, hence it is imperative for Botswana Athletics Association (BAA) to always fully prepare for the event, given that it is annual.

However, this year’s national championships, which were held in Lobatse recently, have proved that it was important that all stakeholders up their game in preparing for the national championships or they will have a mountain to climb.

What was evident during the championships was that preparations were not well executed, given that the programme of the day was done the same day.

There was also confusion among the technical officers as communication was not clear as to who will be doing what on the day.

BAA president, Thari Mooketsi admitted the flaws.

He said what happened in Lobatse was a wake-up call to the athletics community.

“To be honest we lack capacity. But we will improve. Like I said, it is a lesson. In future we will try to host better national championships,” he said.

He however said he was happy that despite the challenges, the athletes lit up the event on the track.

Sport administrator, Patrick Moesi is of the view that the national championships were the biggest event in the athletics calendar, therefore it was important that they are organised properly.

The BAA, he said, could take a cue from the Botswana Primary School Sport Association (BOPSSA, Botswana Integrated Sports association (BISA) nationals as well as Botswana Tertiary Student Sports Association (BOTESSA) nationals, which are organised and marketed well in time.

The national championships, he said, are a culmination of all athletics activities and they draw athletes who have done well in previous competitions.

“This then should make them a closed competition of only those who have set qualifying times or are in the top lists of their events,” he said.

He said it might also help to hold qualifying events for the national championships, as that would help identify and prepare properly for the finals.

Furthermore, he said entries would then be prepared with slots for invited athletes from other countries.

He said sponsors should be courted to support the event, given that the presence of a main sponsor would go a long way in assisting the BAA to successfully host the championships.

Moesi said the issue of medical officials during the competition was inevitable, and it should actually be mandatory for all athletics activities not just the national finals.

Talking about the technical officials, he said it was important that they were involved in preparations to ensure that they run smoothly.

“It is usually very important to hold a refresher course followed by a dress rehearsal if possible before the event to enhance preparedness.

This will ensure that officials are up to date with the rules and are able to apply them properly.

If not well prepared, technical officials can affect the performance of athletes due to poor judgements,” he said.

Furthermore, he said for the smooth running of the competition it was important to utilise the Botswana Sports Volunteer Movement, given that they have well trained individuals who have done a lot of events including international athletics events that the country had hosted before.

“It is important to utilise the service of this set of volunteers as they are always willing to assist. They will go a long in complementing our own technical officials and personnel in delivering a successful event,” he said. ENDS