TAFISA World Congress heads to Botswana
Calistus Kolantsho | Monday December 1, 2025 06:00
TAFISA is the leading international Sport for All association, with more than 260 members in over 150 countries on all continents. The organisation enjoys strong relationships with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), United Nations (UN), and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), amongst others. TAFISA president, Wolfgang Baumann, accompanied by Commissioner of Political Affairs Professor Dr Heinz Zielinski, was in Botswana this week.
Speaking to Mmegi Sport before his departure, Baumann said they have a relationship with the African Union Sport Council (AUSC) Region V, and that Botswana should be proud to have Keenese Katisenge-Tizhani, who is TAFISA Africa vice president.
Game Mothibi is another local involved in TAFISA as a full-time employee based in Germany.
“We have a relationship with AUSC Region V, with headquarters in Gaborone. Our congress takes place every two years; it is the number one global congress for sport for all. We bring together grassroots people, the people who do the job every day. We strive for sport for all, but it is a goal that we will never reach,” he said.
“The reason we are here in Gaborone is that two years ago, in Düsseldorf, your country, represented by the Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC), won the bid to host the World Congress in 2027. It is not by coincidence; we started our cooperation five years ago; it is part of a long-lasting partnership.”
Baumann added the partnership will continue after the congress and will include a lot of benefits.
He said they had a meeting with Minister of Sport and Arts, Jacob Kelebeng, because one of the milestones they want to achieve before the congress is for Gaborone to be the first city in Africa to be called 'active city'.
He added it is the second time for the congress to be hosted in Africa, after the 2021 meeting held in Cape Town.
He said they expect African countries to attend the congress in high numbers, especially countries from AUSC Region V.
“We were also in Gaborone to inspect accommodation, conference facilities and announce worldwide the dates and venue of the congress. We have seen venues where the congress can be hosted,” Baumann said.
“We have a committed team organising the event, besides BNSC, which is important for us. In other countries, it was only big words, no action. Botswana is a peaceful place, and we want participants to learn more beyond the conference venue. We want the participants to walk around Gaborone, smell this city and enjoy it.”
He said the congress will leave a legacy for Gaborone and there are various ideas that the city can choose from. He said they will announce the Africa sport for all roadmap.
He explained that sport for all is not the same in all countries because of different people, cultures, and budgets; it needs a special strategy for Africa. Baumann said they will also consider other challenges, such as wars, and sport for all can be used to create peace.
Meanwhile, TAFISA Senior Manager Mothibi said the partnership with TAFISA has existed for a long time to provide training on how to package and document our traditional games in 2017.
They also provided leadership training on how to prepare volunteers for major games during the 2017 Netball Youth World Cup, 2018 International Working Group (IWG) on Women and Sport World Conference, and 2017 World Baseball Softball Congress, and also held a board meeting in Gaborone.
“Ahead of the congress, we already have Girls Reporting and Safe Coaching Pathway implemented through WASBO since 2023, and continuing. This is an idea to use coaches as role models and mentors for young girls. It also helps us to recruit and retain girls using coaches to create a safe environment,” Mothibi said.
“We trained 39 community leaders; five have been funded to implement projects in places like Moroka, Mokgenene, Mahalapye, and Mabua. Sport for all is taking sport to communities and bringing it to an elite level. We have started building a legacy through these projects. We hope that before the congress, Botswana will be able to collect data in terms of how much physical activity is happening in Gaborone and the entire country.”
She said that as a 'Motswana' in TAFISA, she saw a lot that could benefit Botswana, such as piloting and implementing the pathway. Mothibi said the TAFISA Congress is what Botswana needed.
Mothibi added that after the congress, the country should be able to make a case to the government on the importance of sport.
Meanwhile, Katisenge-Tizhani said being vice president and an African representative from Botswana, hosting the 2027 congress is both a profound honour and a catalytic opportunity for the continent.
She said it is a historic event, returning to Africa after two decades, and it embodies collective strides towards inclusive and accessible sport for all.
“For me, it means the affirmation of Africa’s rightful place on the global stage of sport, wellness and social development. The World Congress will provide a unique platform to advance sport for all policies and frameworks tailored to the African context.
“It enables us to champion strategies that interlink sport, health, education, arts, tourism and local governance through a genuine multi-sector approach,” she said.