Constituency tournaments extended to athletics
Calistus Kolantsho | Wednesday January 18, 2017 15:06
Athletics appear to have welcomed the inclusion with open arms compared to football and volleyball where there was resistance. Botswana Athletics Association (BAA) vice president, Roland Masalila said they reached an agreement with the Ministry for the code to be included in the competition.
He said they felt the move would assist in the development of athletics across the country. Masalila said the advantage was that the programme would be able to reach areas BAA and clubs are unable to reach.
“We have a challenge when it comes to resources and with the Ministry on board, we can now be sure of reaching far flung areas. We have been struggling to take our mandate to all the corners of the country and the new agreement is a blessing. We expect the programme to unleash new talent,” Masalila said.
He said the competition is meant for upcoming and not elite athletes. BAA is the technical partner and it would be the duty of the Ministry to implement the programme.
Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) chairperson, Solly Reikeletseng said they are happy about the government’s decision through the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development. He said as the BNSC, they welcome any assistance that is targeted at the development of sport and youth.
“We are aware that the introduction of volleyball and football in constituency competition was met with resistance from various corners. We would not tire but continue to tell them of the importance of constituency games. Sport is expensive, and we need all the help we can get,” he said.
Reikeletseng said athletics remains one of the best performing codes in the country and the new program will help discover new talent.