Botswana�s Volunteer Goes To The World Cup
Lekopanye Mooketsi | Monday June 2, 2014 17:25
The Botswana sports volunteer will be based in Rio de Janeiro to work in the accreditations department at the iconic Maracana Stadium. The facility will host seven games including the final. Before he left, Koata said he was looking forward to his Brazilian experience.
To prepare for the job, he has learnt Portuguese, the official language of Brazil. He has been in constant touch with the Botswana Embassy in Brazil which has been facilitating his visit. “I hope I will be able to impart the skills and share the knowledge with people who are involved in sports in our country,” he said.
He sees himself as one of Botswana’s ambassador at the World Cup. He said he will utilise the opportunity to market Botswana as an attractive tourist destination.
“If you are in a foreign country and behave in a bad manner, it damages the image of your country,” said Koata.
As a volunteer, he will not be paid anything for his services. He said the Botswana Embassy has made accommodation arrangements for him.
This is not the first time that Koata will be taking part in the World Cup as a volunteer. He played the same role during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. He was based in Rustenburg where he headed the accreditations department. Koata is a treasurer of the Sports Volunteer Movement (SVM), a sub-structure of the Botswana National Sports Council (BNSC). SVM is composed of people from different professions and all walks of life. It was formed in 2000 to coordinate sports events for free.
“Our aim is to encourage volunteerism,” he said. The movement became active in Botswana in 2011. The organisation provided volunteers to the just ended Gaborone 2014 Africa Youth Games (AYG) and the Metropolitan COSAFA Under-17 football tournament.
Koata who works for Stanbic Botswana, is not a newcomer to football. The jazz enthusiast has served on the executive committee of the relegated Mogoditshane Fighters. He presents a Sunday jazz show on local radio station, RB2.