20 Jun 2018

Pupils from Medie Primary School continue to excel in sports despite their area being far from amenities hence classified as a Remote Area Dwellers (RADs) settlement.

This became evident during a recent donation at the school where the school’s sports organiser, Benjamin Kunoto said they would go the extra mile preparing their charges for competitions.

“We train these pupils twice in a day, before classes begin and after school,” he said.

Kunoto also said they advised pupils to be disciplined if they wanted to go far as athletics could be a career.

He said they managed to take two pupils to the national championships in Francistown this year, adding that they were also doing well in ball sports as they always qualified for regional competitions.

He said he was optimistic that the netball team would do well this year.

On the other hand, Kunoto said they had a lot of challenges such as lack of transport which has hindered them from participating in several competitions.

He said it also meant that they could take a few pupils to regional competitions, adding that they missed the zonal competitions.

“If these kids were given a chance in all the competitions, they could go far,” he said.

He said another challenge they were facing was inadequate equipment, and that they were not able to participate in field events.

Kunoto also cautioned parents against denying their children the opportunity to compete, and also appealed to them to ensure that children had birth certificates.

He noted that Koketso Ratsiane came back with a bronze medal from the national competitions held in Francistown. 

The 12-year-old said he liked athletics as it had the potential to better his life.

Koketso also said that although he came fourth in the COSASSA finals, he believed he would do better next time.

He attributed his positive approach to his role model Amantle Montsho whom he said was not easily distracted by challenges.

The boy commutes from Dikokolane about five kilometres from Medie every day for school.

His coach, Kunoto said he was hopeful that the boy would bring a gold medal to their school, as he still had two more years before going to secondary school. ENDS