Relay team to share Choppies� P75,000
Mqondisi Dube | Tuesday August 23, 2016 14:45
Choppies chief executive officer, Ramachandran Ottapathu told Mmegi Sport the team would share the P75,000 cash incentive while hinting there might be a surprise announcement from the retail chain.
Choppies had dangled a tantalizing P1million cash for gold medal winners while silver medallists were promised, still a whooping P500,000 with bronze getting P250,000. Choppies pledged P75,000 for a team or individual reaching the finals.
The relay team of Isaac Makwala, Karabo Sibanda, Onkabetse Nkobolo and Leaname Maotoanong finished fifth in the final after trailing in second for much of the race.
Sibanda will receive an additional P75,000 after he reached the finals of the 400m where he also finished fifth on his Olympics debut. The team arrives today and will be taken around town in a motorcade before the Minister of Youth, Sport and Culture, Thapelo Olopeng makes an address at the University of Botswana indoor facility.
A welcome ceremony is planned for Avani Hotel tomorrow.
Botswana had sent two swimmers, a judoka and nine athletes to Rio in search of a second Olympics medal.
However, that proved elusive despite the heroics of Sibanda who emerged as the best performer, and the relay team.
Medal hopeful, Nijel Amos had a surprisingly muted tournament, suffering a shock first round exit in the 800m and spent much of his time in Brazil as a spectator and motivating the team.
His poor form was blamed on lack of fitness after he recovered from injury early this year.
The Botswana team suffered further bad news when Baboloki Thebe, who went into the games with the fourth fastest time in the 400m this year, was ruled out through injury.