BoBA receives P200, 000 for awards
Calistus Kolantsho | Wednesday October 14, 2015 14:03
BoBA vice president-technical, Gibson Rauwe said the partnership with the mining company started in 2010. The initial sponsorship was P50,000 and has grown four fold in the last four years. Excelling clubs, athletes and administrators will be rewarded during the awards.
He said since the partnership, boxing has shown growth locally and internationally.
“We have seen the growth of the sport at grassroots level and some of the boxers who have excelled in recent times include Oteng Oteng and Kabelo Bagwasi,” he said.
Rauwe said the determination within the association saw athletes bringing accolades from international competitions.
Debswana corporate manager, Matshidiso Kamona said her company was committed to developing sport in Botswana, hence it spends more than P5 million sponsoring different sporting codes every year.
Kamona said boxing has grown to include a full-fledged women’s division. She said athletes should continue to perform well in their various assignments.
Kamona advised boxers who intend to turn professional to show seriousness. She said the awards were only meant to motivate boxers, but the athletes should also do their part.
For his part, the Botswana National Sports Commission (BNSC) chief executive officer, Falcon Sedimo said Debswana does not know any boundaries when it comes to supporting sport.
Debswana had been part of various sporting activities such as the Re Ba Bona Ha programme over the years. He said government could not manage to develop sport without the assistance of the private sector. He said the progress of sport would also benefit the company.
The categories are male boxer of the year, female boxer of the year, promising boxer of the year, coach of the year, affiliate of the year and referee of the year.