Organisers to decide new date for athletics competition
Calistus Kolantsho | Tuesday October 28, 2014 16:30
He said they were forced to postpone the event due to elections and they did not want to interfere with the process.
He said they have decided to move the competition to the National Stadium in Gaborone. The event has been held in Palapye for the past two years after being moved from Selebi-Phikwe where it begun in 2009.
He pointed out that the decision to change the venue was a difficult one because it is usually held in places where A1 Hardware and Electrical has a presence. Otswetswe said they moved the competition to Gaborone to appreciate schools from the southern part of the country. He said the schools have never missed the competition despite the prohibitive travelling costs. Schools from the northern parts have been invited despite the venue shift.
The competition is in its sixth year. A1 Hardware and Electrical has pumped P120,000 to bankroll this year’s edition. The sponsorship amount is unchanged from last year.
Otsetswe said the winners would walk away with a cash prize of P5,000 while the runners up pocket P4,000.
The third placed school will go home with P3,000 with teams that finish between position four and 10 consoled with P1,000. Teams from 11th position up to the 30th position will get cash prizes of P500.
“The idea has always been to promote athletics at grassroots level. We expect more schools to participate in the event because there are many primary schools in the southern part of the country that have always had interest but distance has always been an obstacle,” said Otsetswe. The competition is meant for boys and girls aged between nine and 12 years.