BWF loses wrestling mats
Calistus Kolantsho | Thursday July 23, 2015 10:49
The consignment was shipped to Durban, South Africa but remained uncollected until it was returned to Russia.
BWF president, Moagi Sharp said they were not aware that the mats had arrived in Durban as the delivery was made to a wrong address. He said Congo also lost out under similar circumstances.
The RWF has said if they were to re-send the mats, BWF should meet the costs. Sharp said the Russian Federation has agreed to re-send the mats and the BWF will have to meet the shipping costs.
He said the donation is part of developing wrestling in the continent and Sierra Leone has already benefitted.
He said the BWF has since purchased karate mats for their matches and training. “We decided to reduce the number of clubs we had and we are left with five. Wrestling clubs are in Selebi-Phikwe, Francistown, Maun, Gaborone and Mochudi. We decided to reduce the number to enable easy management and sharing of resources,” said Sharp.
Meanwhile, Sharp said the Namibia Wrestling Federation recently invited BWF for the After School Center Championship held in Windhoek last month. He said 10 wrestlers from different clubs represented the country.
He said the wrestlers brought home four gold, four silver and two bronze medals.
Sharp said Namibia’s best wrestlers in the likes of Angula Shikongo were part of the championship. The wrestler represented Namibia at the Commonwealth Games in Scotland last year and it was clear that he was more experienced.
“The wrestling federations of Namibia and Botswana have agreed to support each other in the growth of the sport. The agreement could be the beginning of the rise of wrestling as a super sport in Southern Africa,” he said. He said as a way of promoting the sport in the country, BWF held a traditional wrestling tournament over the President Day’s holiday in Selebi-Phikwe. He said the tournament was meant for the wrestling team that went to Namibia to share its experiences.
He said BWF has taken a decision to focus on grassroots development. Sharp pointed out that at the recent Botswana National Sports Council (BNSC) annual general meeting, affiliates were advised to focus on grassroots development and talent identification.
He said after the federation started working with primary schools, the response has been amazing. Sharp said BWF would host the first national wrestling championships in October and they intend to invite their Namibian counterparts.