The year of the guns

Mqondisi Dube | Monday June 6, 2022 16:00

The war has raged on since and the guns are still not silent. On Thursday April 21, the media was awash with news that former Botswana President, Ian Khama and three other high profile figures were facing charges related to illegal possession of guns.

On Thursday June 2, Botswana woke up to the disappointing news that a gun had cost their new athletics icon, Letsile Tebogo, a world record. The Botswana Athletics Association’s (BAA) laissez faire attitude denied Tebogo his moment of glory after the association failed to carry out a zero gun test. After the World Athletics indicated last week that it could not ratify Tebogo’s 100m junior world record of 9.96, the BAA sought refuge in a blame-taking statement. They had not bothered to do what is called a zero gun test in athletics. It might sound technical but it’s apparently a routine procedure; more like doing a sound check before a gig. According to World Athletics, a zero gun test is used to check that the automatic timing system starts and captures properly. The zero gun test is required for capturing official records.

The BAA was well aware of this but did not see the importance of checking the equipment before the Gaborone International Meet (GIM). It is our equipment after all, they argued. But your equipment has cost a young man a world record. That opportunity might not come again, but I guess BAA authorities will have their usual sleep. After all they apologised and took the responsibility; so that is sufficient? There is a flimsy excuse that they did not expect record-breaking feats at the GIM. The meet attracted some of the finest runners capable of breaking records. It just baffles the mind why the gun test was not done. In a futile exercise, the BAA carried out the zero gun test well after the competition. Talk of shutting the stable door long after the horses have bolted. With all the evidence presented, it’s clear that the BAA knew that the record would be rejected as they had not done the zero gun test.

Their finger prints were all over the crime scene but the officials, like everyone else waited with bated breadth, yet the outcome was as clear as daylight. It will soon be a forgotten incident until another zero gun test or look-alike incident costs another athlete a record. Then the cyclical procedure will start all over again; a statement, an apology then back to business as usual, until another incident, then the circular relationship all over again. But the athletics’ rules are mind-boggling.

How do you say you don’t recognise the record, but recognise the time as official? Let’s put it this way, when they introduce Tebogo during a race, they will say he has a personal best time of 9.96 but the junior world record is 9.97; only an emoji can sufficiently capture my astonishment. How do we tell future generations that Tebogo ran 9.96, which is an official time, but failed to beat the world record of 9.97? Does it not make sense to expunge the result altogether, rather than cook up all this confusion. We remain hopeful that Tebogo will come out all guns blazing (excuse the pun) and break another record. After all, it’s the year of guns!