16 Apr 2019

Botswana Integral Sports Association (BISA) north zone organiser, Tapson Patane, has appealed to the business community to contribute to sports development.

Patane also urged sponsors to adopt athletes at a tender age.

He said adopting individual athletes would be a motivation to enhance performance and cement Botswana’s sports position in the international arena.

In addition, he said BISA had qualified coaches who were eager to produce quality athletes.

He stated that sponsorship remained a challenge in sport development.

Sporting codes were faced with a challenge of securing sponsorships deals.

“If our athletes can secure sponsorship, we will indeed produce the cream in athletics,” he added.

Patane said grassroots development created opportunities.

“We know a lot of individuals who were given this opportunity at a tender age and ended up becoming professional athletes and in the process making fortunes”, he added.

He said the northern region had a wealth of talent in sports noting that BISA contributed a lot in the national team, adding that they had produced champions who represented the country internationally.

He cited the likes of Karabo Sibanda, Christine Botlogetswe, and Amantle Montsho as a sign of what the country could do.

Patane further stated that this year, they were eyeing to take part in the African Junior competitions billed for Ivory Coast.

He also stated that they had also selected an Under 17 team to participate in COSASA completion in eSwatini next month.

The northern region also sent eight athletes to participate in the CAA Youth and Junior Championships scheduled for the April 16-20 in Cote dIvoire. ENDS