24 Aug 2026

A delegation from the United States (US) has expressed deep appreciation for the North West exceptional raw talent showcased by some youngsters in Maun.

The delegation had the opportunity to participate and observe in the Youth Talent Identification Festival, hosted by the Botswana Athletics Association (BAA) at Maun Sports Complex on Saturday.

The event, which attracted athletes from some schools and local coaches showcased the BAA’s approach to identifying and developing young athletic talent, with US and Botswana coaches exchanging practices and working together to observe and assess young athletes aged 4-16 years.

After their observation, some members of the delegation believed the region was rich in sports talent and advised local coaches to transform that raw talent into elite performance.

They also warned against forcing kids into sports, saying passion should drive them to participate. 

They believed that when kids follow their own hearts, they enjoy the game and stay active naturally.

Sharing his observation, head track coach, Chris Patterson could not hide his excitement acknowledging that youngsters had showed a high potential and gave credit to local coaches.

“Seeing kids showcasing their natural athletics abilities is truly amazing.

I am happy with what the coaches are doing here because I do exactly that during my coaching sessions. I take off the kids’ shoes and expose them to the track at an early stage,” he stated emphasising the importance of skill acquisition, agility and fun over winning.

Patterson highlighted that youth sports built confidence and spark a lifelong love for physical activity.

One of the local coaches, Meleko ‘ Max’ Ndolo appreciated the initiative by BAA and the US delegation, saying it has indeed motivated them to go an extra mile as coaches.

The suspension of school sports, he said, has severely affected the core pipeline for grassroots athlete scouting. 

Currently, he said limited resources restricted them to visit other areas as far as Seronga where they could identify talent at an early stage and nurture it.

With the initiative in place, he said they could easily identify talent and develop it and eventually increase the number of elite athletes from the region.

The vibrant Maun based coach Ndolo has been focused on grassroots sports development in the country since 2006 and continued guiding several athletes to success in continental and global competitions.

While he appreciated the great work by American track and field coaches in blending vigorous technical training and mentorship, he wished they could also take their partnership to another level and consider assisting them with resources to address challenges that frustrated their efforts to catch them young and eventually produce champions who could match the Americans in competitions.

 However, according to BAA sports development manager (technical) Patrick Moesi, the sports diplomacy exchange provided an opportunity for the US delegation and Botswana athletics professionals to share expertise, build professional relationships and engage directly with young athletes and local communities.

 The programme underscores the role of sport as a platform for people-to-people connections, youth development, professional exchange and stronger ties between the US and Botswana.

Through the programme, he said they would also see some local coaches visiting America to learn best practices as far as coaching athletics wsa concerned. ends