17 Nov 2013

Coaches must appreciate the responsibilities associated with their role in mentoring and guiding athletes because coaching is central to the development of both sport and athletes.

Officially opening the Long Term Athletics Development (LTAD) coaches’ symposium in Gaborone on Friday, the director of the Department of Sports and Recreation, Falcon Sedimo said the primary aim of LTAD was to produce greater numbers of performers who were capable of excelingl in high performance sport.

He said LTAD provided a platform for coaches to encourage and support participants at every level to fulfill their potential and also remain involved in sport.

“Successful sporting bodies and nations have adopted the LTAD and in the region, Botswana and South Africa are the first two countries to explore the framework,” he said.

The director said podium performance had nothing to do with population size but the consistency of development programs. He called on the coaches, administrators and technical instructors who attended the symposium to emphasise grassroots performance before they go elite.

Sedimo said there was need to drill coaches to ensure skill imparted on young ones is the right one. Sport, he added, is one of the cheapest means to market a country, “make a contribution when the athlete needs you most do not cling to athletes because you discovered them.”


Sedimo further said the most successful athletes are the most disciplined and the ones who lack discipline will not go far despite how talented they may be. Presenting on the LTAD principles, University of Botswana lecturer Professor Jimoh Shehu said rituals and magic do not make champions adding that one has to work hard and follow principles.

He said some people do not want to wait but want instant results and even wonder why sport bodies talk about LTAD.

Professor Shehu said children have to start early and go through respective stages of development and not rush them in to competition.
The physical education lecturer said some LTAD models have not worked in the past because children were pushed around and treated as young adults something which was wrong.

He highlighted that the student athlete should not always be out partaking in sports neglecting their studies but rather balance the two because they need education to lean on. Professor Shehu talked against the notion that athletes are not intellectually gifted which he said is a myth that kills the child’s ego. ENDS