Sports

BMS fails to pay P66,000 affiliation fee

Kabelo Boranabi | Wednesday July 16, 2025 06:29

BMS spokesperson, Colonel Motlapele Majama says the federation solely relies on the Botswana National Sport Commission for international affiliation fees PIC: PHATSIMO KAPENG
 
BMS spokesperson, Colonel Motlapele Majama says the federation solely relies on the Botswana National Sport Commission for international affiliation fees PIC: PHATSIMO KAPENG

FIM, as a global regulator of the motorcross discipline of motorsport, has given BMS until this Friday (July 18) to pay the annual affiliation fee. Speaking to SportMonitor on Saturday, BMS public relations officer, Colonel Motlapele Majama said the federation solely relies on the Botswana National Sports Commission for international affiliation fees.

Majama also said the problem arose due to BMS’ annual grant being just less than P200,000 and the fact that international affiliations will take a large chunk of the grant. He highlighted that BMS has since put a request to the BNSC, as Botswana is likely to miss the 2025 Motocross of African Nations (MXoAN). “I met with one of the BNSC officials today (Saturday) to show them the implications of not paying the affiliation fee. They have since promised to work on it by Monday. I was told that the BNSC has also not received the grants (from the government), of which I cannot dispute or agree to because I do not have the facts, and we have since notified our affiliates,” said Majama.

He continued to say Team Botswana’s participation at the MXoAN that is to be held in Zimbabwe in a month’s period from August 15 to 17 hangs by a thread and will depend on the meeting with the commission held last evening (Monday). BMS over the weekend held round three of the National Motocross Championship in the Mmopane Motocross Track.

The event was to be used to help the selected national team riders get ready for the African Championship while improving their local championship standings. However, the race pulled a handful of competitors as the majority of riders boycotted the race after learning that BMS had been sidelined by FIM. “The boycott you can see here is mainly due to our standing with FIM. At first, we had told them that our affiliation had been paid because we also had been told by the highest office, the one that handles the payments, that our affiliation fee had been paid. So now we were waiting for proof of payment. We even told the parents that our affiliation has been sorted and we are waiting for proof of payment to share it with our members,” said Majama.

He said the BMS leadership was in shock late last week to learn that they are missing from the FIM newsletter and they have not been given parade time at the upcoming MXOAN. Majama said the BMS leadership held a meeting with stakeholders on Friday to assure them that they are in good standing with the Registrar of Societies and also the FIM pending payment of the affiliation fee. “We are not suspended but the services are. Like when we go to the MXOAN, there is a rider subsidy that we are to benefit and also FIM issues out licenses, which we are to miss out on because we still owe the affiliation,” said Majama.