10 Jul 2018

Mogoditshane/Thamaga constituency emerged the champions at the district eliminations athletics constituency competitions held at Molepolole sports complex over the weekend.

They scored a total of 218 points, followed by Letlhakeng Sub -district with 124 points and Molepolole Administrative Authority (MAA)/Lentsweletau accumulating a total of 199 points. The first and second positions were awarded  floating trophies.

Kweneng District elimination stage was also an opportunity to select the team that will represent the district at the national finals to be held in Lobatse on July 28-29. The competition attracted over 100 athletes who competed on seven categories being 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 5000m, 4 x 100m and 4 x 400m relay teams.

According to programme officer for sports from Ministry of Youth Empowerment,sport and  Culture Development, Tlamelo Tsebe, the prize monies were being reviewed for district eliminations and national finals.

The outstanding performance for the day was displayed by the men’s 4x100m relay where Mogoditshane/Thamaga came first clocking 45.43 followed by Letlhakeng Sub-district at 46.04.

Tsebe noted that the constituency athletics competitions were running for the second time and had shown potential with more participants than last year. Another development noted was that eight regions competed in the finals compared to last year where there were only two regions being north and south.

He said athletics was facing challenges more especially in terms of facilities which were not evenly distributed in the Kweneng region and as such some athletes felt disadvantaged.

“Some athletes train on hard grounds while others use the stadium,” he said. 

However, he noted that they conducted workshops for athletes so that they familiarised themselves with the sporting facilities.

“All those who have qualified for the nationals will do a three day training to acquaint themselves with the facilities,” he said. He said the constituency athletics competitions were a vital initiative as it unearthed raw talent, tackles issues of health and helped to curb idleness. ENDS