Hostile environment blamed for boxers failure

Boxing press confrence PIC: KABO MPAETONA
Boxing press confrence PIC: KABO MPAETONA

The national boxing team’s failure to qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympics has been blamed on the hostile environment they faced in Cameroon. The team’s manager, Irene Ntelamo told a media briefing at the Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC) offices yesterday that the team could have done better.

She said the judges were biased and that led to some boxers being cheated. She said in one instance, the army was called in to restore order when many countries were complaining. Ntelamo said accommodation and food were not up to standard. She said countries were not allowed to protest under the new Africa Confederation Boxing Association (AIBA) rules. She said although they are expected to respect judges decisions, the officials should do the right thing.

National team coach, Thebe Setlalekgosi said preparations for the qualifiers were not enough due to lack of funds. The preparations needed more time and boxers should have gone for international training camps. Despite that, Setlalekgosi said the boxers gave their best performances ever.

Editor's Comment
Inspect the voters' roll!

The recent disclosure by the IEC that 2,513 registrations have been turned down due to various irregularities should prompt all Batswana to meticulously review the voters' rolls and address concerns about rejected registrations.The disparities flagged by the IEC are troubling and emphasise the significance of rigorous voter registration processes.Out of the rejected registrations, 29 individuals were disqualified due to non-existent Omang...

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