Diacore funds squash stadium renovations

Calistus Kolantsho | Wednesday February 11, 2015 10:57

Squash Association and Diacore officials together with BNSC chairperson, Solly Reikeletseng and Minister, Kitso Mokaila at the announcement of a sponsorship from Diacore. PIC: KAGISO ONKATSWITSE

Chairperson of DGM Foundation, Thola Magang said during the handover ceremony that the funds would go a long way in giving the club the much-needed facelift.

He said DGM has always been a supporter of a holistic approach to national sports and athletics development and funding the refurbishment of the squash club is a perfect testament to this. “Since the title sponsor, Diacore adopted the race in 2012, it has grown from 3,000 to well over 5,000 participants with over a million Pula being awarded to over 30 deserving charities by Diacore in conjunction with co-sponsors being Stanbic Bank, Mascom and GIA,” said Magang.

Botswana Squash Racket Association (BSRA) patron, Kitso Mokaila said playing squash is about health and being decisive. He said that there are talented children who would like to play the sport but there is competition from other codes such as football. He spoke about the need for the sport to be spread across the country.

BSRA president, Tiego Rabasha said when they came into office in 2012, they found the squash facilities in a bad state. He said the committee had to come up with bold decisions to resuscitate the club. He said they approached various stakeholders seeking assistance until they the nod from DGM. “The renovations include roofing, painting and acquiring a new floor. We had to import wood that is approved by the World Squash Association from Europe and it did not come cheaply,” he said.

Rabasha said BSRA intends to close the gap between players. He noted that at the moment, there is no succession plan but some players were excelling in America.

He said there were no upcoming players to close the gap. He said the association intends to affiliate with Botswana Primary Schools Sports Association (BOPSSA). He said the aim is to benefit from BOPSSA and introduce the sport to various schools in the country.

Rabasha said BSRA has been given an opportunity to host the All- Africa Under-19 Championships next month. He said staging such an event needs good facilities.