28 Jul 2024

Diamond Trading Company Botswana (DTC Botswana) has sponsored the Botswana Swimming Sport Association (BSSA) with P3 million for three years.

Speaking at the sponsorship launch on Thursday, DTCB managing director, Sedireng Serumola, said they would spend P1 million each year to support the development and promotion of Botswana swimmers through a Long-Term Athlete Development Programme.

“Through an annual financial commitment of P1 million, we are fully devoted to helping these athletes realise their potential and achieve excellence on the global stage,” he said.

He said at the DTCB, they believed in the power of partnerships, and their collaboration with the BSSA embodied their commitment to nurturing and empowering the next generation of swimmers in the country.

Furthermore, he said their main aim was to provide support that would not only enhance the performance and strength of athletes but also prepare them for the prestigious 2028 Olympics.

One of the most significant aspects of this partnership, he said was their belief in the transformative power of sports, particularly in promoting youth participation in athletics.

Serumola said at DTCB they recognised the importance of providing equal opportunities for all aspiring athletes, regardless of gender or age.

Through their involvement in youth and women’s sports, he said they aimed to instill a sense of discipline, confidence, resilience and determination in the next generation of athletes, paving the way for a more inclusive and equitable sporting community.

Furthermore, he said as an organisation deeply committed to sustainability, they acknowledge the importance of balancing their present actions with the needs of future generations.

“Our strategic sustainability priority revolves around the principle of promoting sustainable practices that meet the needs of the present without compromising the future. We understand the responsibility we bear towards our communities and the environment, and we are dedicated to making a meaningful and lasting contribution to the world around us,” he said.

The BSSA president Kgaotsang Matthews said they would use the funds to support, two groups of swimmers being the development squad of youngsters aged between 12-15 and senior squad.

She said they would provide the necessary enablers to support the athletes to thrive, such as high performance camps at the High Performance Centre in Pretoria, South Africa with world-renowned Olympic coach, Rocco Matthews.

She said they would also provide strength and conditioning support, sports psychologist support and physiotherapy support.

A key component for the BSSA, she said was their coaches, adding that the programmes could never be a success if they did not consider coaches as the centre of the athlete’s success.

“There is no point building all this support around the swimmer, when we are not working with the coach. The coach is pivotal to the programme, as the implementer. We as the BSSA have therefore had a fruitful workshop at the High Performance Centre in Pretoria with our coaches where they discussed all the technical components that need to be in place for this programme to work,” she said.

She said as swimmers went to the High Performance Centre, they would be accompanied by a coach from their clubs, so that they would continue with what they had learnt at the centre. Ends