Frantic efforts to qualify for Olympics
Calistus Kolantsho | Friday January 31, 2020 11:55
Volleyball and rugby have fallen by the wayside, after elimination from their respective qualifiers.
Only three athletes, Christine Botlogetswe, Nijel Amos and Galefele Moroko have qualified.
Athletics coach, Brendan Tautsagae said there is still hope that more athletes would qualify.
“I am still optimistic of qualifications. When the season closed last year, we had athletes like Leungo Scotch showing signs that they have arrived on the big stage. I believe had it not been for some injuries, our relay team stood a good chance,” Tautsagae said.
He said the festive break gave the athletes a chance to recover and they expected them to record better times soon.
For karate, it looked promising, but hopes are fast fading after their recent dismal show at the Karate 1-Premier League in France. But the team can still make amends when it competes at the 2020 UFAK Championships that start in Morocco next week.
Last year the team failed to win a gold medal at the UFAK Championship held in Gaborone and were eliminated in round one at the World Cup. The contract for the senior national team coach, Christopher Ponatshego expired in December.
“The team did not prepare ahead of the qualifiers. They just got up and went to compete,” said Botswana Karate Association president, Tshepho Bathai.
Last year, Ponatshego was crucified for taking an inexperienced team to UFAK and Africa Games. Karate has a pool of young talent.
Ofentse Bakwadi sits at number 54 in the World rankings while Lemogang Koolopile is at number 118 followed by Baatlang Shabane at number 124. Lethabo Sekano is ranked 180th while Centy Kgosikoma is at position 130. Only the top 10 will qualify for the Olympics in the different categories. Botswana Judo Federation spokesperson, Gaongalelwe Morris said preparations were going well for the qualifiers. She said Gavin Bogopa is in a training camp in Japan while five other judokas are training in Gaborone.
The boxing team flew to France for a training camp this week. Team manager, Gilbert Khunwane said despite leaving the country without allowances and warm apparel, the Botswana National Olympic Committee assisted them on Wednesday.
The team will take part in a tournament in Hungary and jet off to Cuba for another training camp. The team will then proceed to the Tokyo qualifiers in Senegal, which run from February 17 to March 1, 2020.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development, Kago Ramokate told Mmegi Sport that government is committed to ensuring that all athletes with potential to qualify for Tokyo are well prepared.