Rising doping cases spoil BNOC party
Calistus Kolantsho | Friday November 2, 2018 13:36
Sydney 2000 Olympic Games finalist, Glody Dube, speaking during the launch of the celebrations in Gaborone on Wednesday, said it was disheartening that with a small population that the country has, doping cases continue to rise.
“It is a pity to us as a nation to be having such crises. Sometimes I wonder what is happening to our sport. It is not an issue of having World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) offices here but a change of mindset. We should work as a team and fight the trend that would end up killing our sport,” he said.
Dube said athletes should know that they have to win without taking illegal substances. “We do not have sport doctors here who can prescribe supplements for athletes.
Today, if a doctor prescribes something to an athletes and it is discovered that they contain banned substances, they (doctors) do not take responsibility,” Dube said.
BNOC chief executive officer, Tuelo Serufho said doping is a challenge that they continue to experience.
“There is a case that happened in recent weeks. With a small population that we have, one case of doping is a significant number. Within our strategic plan, we would like to have zero cases of doping,” he said.
Lydia Jele recently tested positive for a banned substance and was slapped with a four-year suspension.
Meanwhile, Dube urged the country to commit more resources in preparing for the Olympics.
“The (Olympic) games benefit athletes even if they do not win medals. They can benefit through appearance fees in other competitions,” Dube said.
He suggested that it is high time the country focusses on a code that brings results. He said other countries, like Kenya, are putting all their resources in athletics because they know the benefits of an Olympic medal.“I am not saying we should forget about other codes, but we know what is making us tick. Let us develop that,” Dube said. In other matters, Serufho said the BNOC had wanted to build its headquarters in Block 6, Gaborone in 2016.
“It is a dream that we see in future and we would not give up on it.
The headquarters would house museum and the hall of fame amongst others. We also wanted to establish a High Performance Centre (HPC),” he revealed.
Serufho said it is expensive to run an HPC hence they cannot afford it on their own. He said they have consulted other stakeholders such as the Botswana National Sport Commission and the University of Botswana.
“I can confirm that we are making progress in setting up the HPC. It would not belong to BNOC but the country as a whole,” he added.