29 Sep 2018

Botswana’s 400 metres runner, Bernard Olesitse, left with Team Botswana for the Youth Olympic Games billed for Argentina.

The Ministry of Basic Education previously said the athlete would not take part in the Youth Olympic Games because they clashed with the Junior Certificate examinations.

Following discussions between permanent secretary in the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development, Kago Ramokate and his basic education collegue, Simon Coles, the athlete was released.

Coles confirmed that his ministry had now allowed the athlete to travel with Team Botswana to Buenos Aires, after thorough consultations.

“We were not stopping him to go there, but our argument was that, we were looking at his welfare, and our concern was the time difference between Argentina and Botswana, in terms of writing his exams there,” he said.

Coles said it was imperative to engage his parents to hear if they were comfortable  to allow their child to compete and write examinations at the same.

For his part, Ramokate said in his conversation with Coles they agreed that, they should both make sure that the athlete would not lose either way, and also to ensure that they exploit examinations exemption provisions.

“We also agreed that we should ensure that, the parents were onboard with what is happening, so that it is not a decision that is made the Ministry of Education, to say the athletes so go,” he said.

Ultimately, he said the Ministry of Education agreed, and updated him that, they had a conversation with Botswana Examinations Council, which assured them that there was an opportunity for exemption.

“So the way it is going to be done is that, the athlete will not be writing exams in Argentina, because BEC has some provisions which indicate that if there is a situation, and in the event that the candidate did not write all papers, what can be done,” he said.

He said after the assurance from Ministry of Education, they were satisfied with all the arrangement, adding that they both exhausted  all avenues that denying him to travel with the team, might also affect his performance and the results.

In other issue Ramokate further said, as Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development, they would use Olesitse’s situation as a test case that such arrangement can be done provided they work as a unit.

He said sport should not be seen as an alternative to education or education seen as an alternative to sport, but they must be seen as an integral part of development of a young person.

“The point I am try to make is that, when you develop a young person, do not put education or sport aside, the coming four weeks can determine Olesitse’s future, so if we don’t do things properly in this coming weeks, it may be too late,” he said. 

Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC) chief executive officer, Tuelo Serufho, said promoting cultural understanding and education had always been part of the core mission of the Olympic movement.

He said they were of the view that Olesitse must be given an opportunity to write his examinations and participate in sport because in future something between sport and education might benefit him.

He, however, said they were happy that Ministry of Education, had allowed the athlete to undertake the trip

Sefufho said his organization had made all necessary arrangements to ensure that the athlete prepare fully for the examinations.

“As you might be aware there was a school vacation, but we arranged that his teachers continue to prepare him and they have also packaged some revision papers,” he said. Ends