Coaches have their say
Calistus Kolantsho | Friday July 12, 2019 12:28
Sensei Otto Tafa
(technical adviser-Botswana)
“The team is ready and as the hosts, we had a lot of time to prepare for the championship. The team competed at the Region 5 championship in May hosted by Namibia. The other team members went for the Beach Games in Morocco. Our athletes did well in those competitions, which is an indication that they are ready. We want to finish what we have started.”
“We have a few knocks but we are hopeful that they would be fit for the competition.
We are expected to bring positive results and I promise you that we would achieve that. In all the international competitions we have been doing well and now we have home ground advantage, nothing can stop us.” Botswana has fielded karatekas in all categories, for both individuals and teams.
Sensei Llewellyn Manale
(coach-Namibia)
“We are ready as we have been training for the Region 5. Our expectation is to perform better than last year when we won six medals. The aim is to get better results. For almost 10months we have been working on the mental strength of the karatekas. Our hopes are on the team captain, Suzelle Pronk who scooped silver and gold medals at the Region 5 Games.” Namibia has brought eight karatekas
Silga Jean Blaise
(coach-Burkina Faso)
“The team is ready. The challenge is that the weather is too cold for the athletes. We are injury free and we hope everything will go smoothly. Before our departure, we promised our nation seven medals, up from the three medals from 2019.” Burkina Faso has brought a squad of 16.