Boost for water sports as Gabs Dam rises
Calistus Kolantsho | Thursday February 23, 2017 17:14
Gaborone Yatcht Club secretary general, Electra Vye said these are exciting times as they have long waited for the dam levels to rise. “We were now having challenges with members’ subscriptions as they were refusing to pay since they were not active. Today (yesterday) we have had many enquiries including people renewing their membership since the dam gained significantly,” Vye said. She said since they worked with the 2014 Youth Games team, they want to resume training and assist them to go and compete internationally.
BNSC chairperson, Solly Reikeletseng told Mmegi Sport yesterday that the changes mean that water sport such as angling, rowing and canoeing can now resume.
He said rowing and canoeing were introduced as part of the bid for the 2014 Africa Youth Games which Botswana hosted.
“We have been struggling with water and it was difficult for the two bodies to have activities. We have many Batswana who are interested in joining water sports but some have lost interest. The water restrictions that were imposed on the facilities kept us at bay,” he said.
Reikeletseng said the country could not send rowing and canoeing teams to international competitions as they were inactive. “It has always been in our interest to develop water sport in Botswana. We just hope that rowing and canoeing activities will help spread and promote the interest of water sport,” he said.
Reikeletseng said taking care of turfs at their various facilities will be much easier after the recent rains.