02 Sep 2024

Ngamiland is blessed with a wealth of talent in terms of sport performance and development. 

 The region had indeed nurtured some men and women who became professional athletes and in the process making fortunes.

Ngamiland is well known for its revered athletes in the likes of the former 400-metre runner Amantle Montsho, long jumper sensation, Gable Garenamotse, who had made waves in the global stage.

Talented athletes in the of likes of Leungo Scotch, Anthony Pesela, Bayapo Ndori among others, who took a centre stage at various international competitions such as Tokyo 2020 Olympics Games and the World Under 20 Championships in Kenya and the just-ended Olympic Games held at Paris, were also unearthed from the region. 

These are the very same games in which Botswana made history by clinching two medals; a gold and a silver.

As such, leadership and sports fanatics are of the view that proper infrastructural support could have an impact on the development of elite sports talent and sports participation from the grassroot level.

Although they appreciate the presence of Maun Sports Complex, they are concerned about its current bad state. 

Reports have indicated that since the handing over of the facility to Botswana National Sports Commission (BNSC), it has never undergone major maintenance due to financial constraints.

As such, sport administrators and players have been calling for its maintenance.

They had raised their hopes that they would witness the emergence of the envisaged facility in Maun as the place was proposed as one of the four host sites for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

A new stadium of a sitting capacity of 40 000 was proposed for Maun, should the country win the bid, but that was not the case.

However, pending the envisaged project, the government recognises the contribution of Ngamiland to sports development as it continues to launch various sports programmes in the region.

Recently, the Minister of Youth, Gender, Sports and Culture, Honourable Tumiso Rakgare, launched a temporary programme in place of schools sport, dubbed ‘Matlhagolatsela’ Sport Programme in Maun.

The programme, which was rolled out across the country in various schools, aimed to resuscitate school sports activities while a long term solution is being sought by stakeholders following a five-year suspension of sport activities in schools.

He appreciated that the initiative would give children the opportunity to dream, to compete and to shine on both local and international stages.

Kgosi Kealetile Moremi welcomed the programme launch in Maun, saying that was an indication that government recognised the contribution of the region towards development and growth of sport in Botswana.

Maun East area Member of Parliament, Honourable Goretetse Kekgonegile, also appreciated the programme, saying it would motivate more youngsters to participate in and reap the benefits brought about by sports. 

Sports could help reduce unemployment among youth.

Another new programme was launched last year by Botswana Football Association in Maun dubbed ‘Football For Schools’ which aimed to contribute to education, development and empowerment of children.

The programme is a tripartite between the association, MYSC and Ministry for Education and Skills Development run by FIFA in collaboration with UNESCO and World Health Organisation through its member associations.

It aimed to ‘catch them young’ as it sought to make football accessible to both boys and girls by incorporating football activities into the education system in partnership with authorities and stakeholders.

The programme was also designed to promote targeted life skills and competencies as well as contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Meanwhile, Nhabe Regional Football Association chairperson, Norman Sebele, said in an interview that they still needed a facility of high standard in Maun to grow the sport at grassroot level.

He remained optimistic that the proposed new stadium would take shape as a big chunk of land covering 15 hectares had already been identified at Boseja ward.

Sebele added: “We are longing for the project of that magnitude because we believe that it can help to discover more talented pool of athletes and sport persons. 

We need a state-of-the- art facility that will attract giant teams to play here as well as ensure a sustainable future for sports in our region and the country at large.”

He appreciated that BFA had plans to construct a technical centre in Maun, which he said would help football administrators to identify talent and expose players to competitive sport competitions.

The centre, he said, would have a high performance football pitch that matches CAF standards, regretting that it would only cater for football code.

The project, he said, was a welcome development, but still insisted that he wanted a bigger one that would cater for all sporting codes. Ends