20 Sep 2018

Athletics governing body president, Lord Sebastian Coe will be the first International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) leader to visit the country when he arrives on November 3.

Lord Coe and his entourage will be in the country on a three-day official visit.

Since ascending to the IAAF top office, the two-time British Olympic champion has been visiting different federations to appreciate their challenges.

Botswana Athletics Association (BAA) president, Thari Mooketsi said preparations for Coe’s visit were ongoing.

He said while in Botswana, Lord Coe would meet with the Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development, Thapelo Olopeng, Botswana National Sport Commission and Botswana National Olympic Committee.

He will also tour athletics facilities in Gaborone as well as being briefed on Kids Athletics, a grassroots development programme created by the IAAF in 2005.  It has been implemented in 134 federations.

Furthermore, Mooketsi said Lord Coe would be shown the BAA plot, adding that they hoped the IAAF would assist to develop the high performance centre.

Mooketsi said Lord Coe would also have the opportunity to meet former athletes who represented Botswana in the international stage and the current elite athletes.

The association, he said, would engage the IAAF boss on their needs and development programmes.

He added that there was a need to train members of the media on track and field reporting as well as technical official training.

Mooketsi said the training would further develop athletics in the country, and that they would seek the IAAF president’s assistance.

In an interview conducted with Lord Coe in May, he said visiting federations was important because it afforded him the opportunity to understand challenges federations faced.

He said Botswana’s performance at the last Commonwealth Games was exciting.

He added that Botswana's performance short distances could not go unnoticed. ENDS