31 May 2020

Botswana National Olympic Committee, (BNOC) President Botsanag Tshenyego has expressed worry over the organisation's financial status.
Speaking at the BNOC general assembly, Tshenyego said the grant BNOC had been receiving  from government had dwindled over the last few years, as a result of both cuts and loss of value.
Moreover, he said the advent of COVID-19 had exacerbated the organisation's financial woes as well as  sport in general in so far as government funding was concerned. 
He said while the International Olympic Committee had given assurances that their insurances would make sure that usual support to National Olympic Committees was not affected.
“In response, BNOC  Board has come up with a comprehensive plan to enhance its ability to mobilise resources from outside government and create better value for its stakeholders,” he said.
Regarding the  corporate citizenship, Tshenyego said the board continued to seek opportunities through which the BNOC could  contribute to not only the needs and aspirations of Botswana sport, but also the nation at large. 
He said earlier this year, BNOC facilitated engagements with some international sport luminaries with the intention to lure them and or their network of contacts to invest in Botswana.
He said discussions started in February with the IOC and some international environmental bodies for the BNOC to lend a hand to Botswana structures in achieving some national and global natural environmental goals.
 The BNOC, he said, continued to produce sport administrators, coaches, sport medicine and sport science personnel not only for its own benefit, but for all levels of sport.
Furthermore, Tshenyego said some of the planned activities had to be postponed indefinitely due to COVID-19, but assured that they would be resuscitated when the situation permits.
BNOC chief executive officer, Tuelo Serufho informed the general assembly that despite the fact that  Tokyo 2020 Olympics were cancelled due to COVID-19,  those who had qualified would still  be eligible to compete in  2021.

He said so far four women and a man had qualified, adding that should the trend continue, it would be the first time in the history of Botswana that there were more women than men at a major international Games. 

“It is the first time in the history of Botswana sport that we have qualified a female Boxer to the Olympic Games,” he said.
According to Serufho, both the board and secretariat were confident that more athletes, including relay teams from athletics, would still be able to qualify for the Games. END