17 Oct 2024

Botswana Athletics Association (BAA) clubs have received a total of P2 million for development from the Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC).

BAA vice president, Oabona Theetso said in an interview that they were happy as a federation that government had recognised their hard work and clubs’ determination.

He said they would continue to unleash and polish raw diamonds that would sparkle at international stages. Theetso said as BAA, they would not take any decision as to how the money would be disbursed, but rather the clubs should come with recommendations.

“The clubs know their needs, therefore it is important that they came with ways as to how we can disburse the money to their respective clubs,” he said.

Theetso said their club membership stands at 25 clubs and they were trying to empower them to come up with suggestions.

“But at the end of it all, we will consolidate and we will also add ours and come up with a sound plan as to how we are going to disburse the money for the benefit of the clubs,” he said.

Maun Athletics Club chairperson, Ralph Ledimo said the money came at the right time as it would go a long way in assisting clubs to develop more athletes.

He said most of the talented athletes were found in Maun and Okavango region and all along it was difficult for them because they had to pay the rent for the athletes. Ledimo said the grant would now help them to be robust in their talent identification as well as development.

“As you might be aware, as Maun Athletics Clubs, we host our track and field events either in Francistown or Gaborone because our track is not in a good condition to host any qualifying event,” he said.

He said they incur a lot of expenses, including travelling, accommodation and food for athletes, adding that the grant would definitely cushion them. 

BAA is the only code so far that has constantly brought glory to the country.They recently made history, winning two medals at the Olympics. Letsile Tebogo made history by becoming the first man in Africa to win a gold medal. In addition to that, the men’s 4 x400 metres relay team managed to win a silver medal. Ends