BAA committee: The prophet without honour in his hometown
Mqondisi Dube | Monday November 24, 2025 06:00
According to the world governing body, the award recognises a Member Federation that has distinguished itself in its accomplishments throughout the year, and as a result, positively contributed to the growth and the profile of the sport.
In a statement, World Athletics said the shortlisted federations were nominated by each of the six area associations.
World Athletics’ six area associations are Africa, Asia, Consudatle (South America), the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC), Europe, and Oceania.
Botswana has been nominated alongside five other World Athletics member federations from China, Ecuador, Oceania, Spain and the United States.
Winners will be announced the following Friday. World Athletics said the BAA had been nominated for its notable achievements at the World Athletics Championships held in Tokyo this year, where Botswana’s athletes “delivered historic performances that elevated the country’s profile on the global stage”. Collen Kebinatshipi’s 400m triumph and the 4x400m relay team’s gold are mentioned as achievements that propelled Botswana on the global stage.
“This collective triumph reflected the success of Botswana’s long-term investment in talent development and high-performance programmes. Botswana’s year was characterised by exceptional performance, both individual and collective, backed by robust coaching, sound federation management and athlete support systems,” World Athletics said.
“The country proved its ability to combine discipline, innovation and teamwork,” the governing body further noted.
But miles away from the keyboard that relayed the glowing tribute from World Athletics headquarters in Monaco, tensions were rising at Lekidi Centre, where BAA affiliates were pushing a motion of no confidence against the very administration that would wake up to a global nomination the following week.
BAA affiliates’ efforts to oust the Moses Bantsi-led committee have persisted, and the plans have been gathering pace despite the initial postponement of the Special General Meeting earlier this year.
Bantsi has been appointed World Relays CEO, whilst BAA vice president Oabona Theetso holds fort in his absence and is forced to contend with the affiliates’ charge.
The affiliates are still pressing for a motion of no confidence. Yet as of this week, the BAA board is still in office after the efforts to force the committee out hit another brick wall. But as the conflict progresses, the bitter exchanges point to a battle that has only been shelved for another day.
It is a pause in a conflict that can go either way, as a more than six-month-old motion of no confidence remains a prominent issue.
The affiliates accuse the BAA of failure to provide a draft constitution and financial statements, and of concerns over the recent suspension of some officials.
Thus far, the BAA board has weathered the storm, but time could be a telling factor, as affiliates had sought to oust the committee long before the narrative-changing World Athletics Championships triumph in Tokyo.
Botswana won three medals for the first time in the history of the competition and saw the 4x400m relay become the first African team to win gold at the event. Kebinatshipi also joined an elite list of African athletes to win gold in the 400m, joining South Africa’s Wayde van Niekerk.
Botswana’s third gold came through Bayapo Ndori, who took bronze in the 400m finals. These achievements were enough to make the world sit up and take notice.
Yet the affiliates have a differing viewpoint; whilst in the eyes of the world, the board is an agent of transformation, back home, its members see an epitome of incompetence.
In the eyes of the world, they are transformational agents and a beacon of light, but to one of their most crucial constituents, the Botswana Athletics Association (BAA) board represents the top level of ineptness, in a classic case of a prophet without honour in his homeland, writes MQONDISI DUBE