27 Dec 2025

Botswana’s astute sport administrator, Molefhi Obenne, has once again put the country in the spotlight after being named the 2025 Sport for Life Global Facilitator.

The accolade recognises exceptional leadership and impact in using sport as a tool for education, inclusion and community development worldwide.

This marks Obenne’s second consecutive award, a remarkable achievement given that he is only in his third year as National Coordinator and Master Facilitator.

He is currently ranked third overall globally among seasoned Sport for Life facilitators from Timor-Leste, Cape Verde and Portugal.

The Sport for Life programme was officially launched in Botswana in June 2022 under the Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC), with Obenne promptly appointed as the National Coordinator. Since then, the programme has steadily expanded its footprint, positioning Botswana as a strong contributor within the global Sport for Life network.

In 2025, the programme deliberately focused on secluded and hard-to-reach areas, including Lerala, Matsiloje, Nata, Kasane, Maun, Shakawe, Charleshill, Tsabong and Oliphant’s Drift, to ensure that children and young people often excluded from structured sport and life-skills programmes were not left behind. Such strategic focus yielded strong results.

During the year, 11 Sport for Life courses and one Train-the-Trainer programme were successfully delivered. A total of 191 participants were trained, representing 96 per cent of the annual target. Gender inclusion remained a priority, with 78 female participants, the programme achieved 78 per cent of its female enrolment target, maintaining a participation ratio of 39 per cent female to 61 percent male in adherence to Olympic ideals regarding gender equality.

The programme also made progress in the inclusion of marginalised groups, with five participants living with disabilities, reaching 50 per cent of that inclusion target.

At community level, Sport for Life engaged 1 725 children through multi-sport events, achieving 86 per cent of the annual target.

Beyond the numbers, the programme continued to use sport to promote leadership, responsibility, teamwork, and positive social behaviour, while strengthening local capacity through trained facilitators and educators.

In an interview, Obenne noted that the award was a reflection of collective effort, adding that the achievement belonged to the communities, schools, facilitators and young people who believed in the power of sport to transform lives.

With Botswana now firmly established on the global Sport for Life map, Obenne’s back-to-back recognition underscores the growing impact of grassroots sport development in the country and highlights the potential of sport as a driver of social change. ENDS