Sunny days ahead for sport
Calistus Kolantsho | Saturday December 23, 2023 06:00
Starting this fiscal year, the grant from the Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) witnessed a reduction of approximately P30 million.
In a recent discourse with NSAs, the Minister of Youth, Gender, Sport and Culture (MYSC), Tumiso Rakgare, disclosed that government has purposefully resolved to augment funding for sport and the creative arts in the forthcoming financial year.
He said the intention is for the enhanced funding to persist for several years, although a cautionary note was sounded against sport becoming excessively reliant on government support. "As such, there would be a significant increase in the BNSC grant, with a clear directive that a substantial portion of that funding is to be allocated to NSAs.
I must caution you that we are still going to operate on a merit basis and allocate funds to those NSAs that are contributing to the greatest sporting, economic, and social impact," the minister said. He emphasised a proclivity towards developmental initiatives, particularly at the grassroots level. He specified that the ministry would incentivise clubs with robust youth structures and those producing athletes of the calibre to be selected into age-based national teams. Moreover, Rakgare conveyed a successful endeavour to secure funding for the preparations of major sports competitions, such as the Olympic Games, from the development budget rather than the recurrent budget.
Anticipating additional funds in April for the Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, Rakgare revealed that the current budget for the Africa Games and Paris 2024 is P6 million. Africa Games are scheduled for Accra, Ghana in March, while the Olympics are slated for August.
NSAs identified to participate in these games include athletics, swimming, boxing, taekwondo, beach volleyball, weightlifting, and the Mares. Presently, five athletes from athletics have secured their spots for Paris: Leungo Scotch, Collen Kebinatshipi, and Bayapo Ndori have qualified in the men’s 400m, Letsile Tebogo qualified for 100m and 200m, while Tshepiso Masalela qualified for the men’s 800m.
“I am aware that many of you are frustrated as I am at the rate at which our preparations for the Africa Games and Olympics are going. With the limited funding availed to them, the BNSC could only afford to fund a few of you, and even then, not to the extent that both you and them would have desired,” Rakgare said.