Gov't promises 10 stadia worth P50m
Kabelo Boranabi | Friday April 13, 2018 12:39
Speaking at the Mascom Top 8 awards ceremony held in Gaborone on Wednesday, Olopeng said the government remains committed to the development of sports in the country hence the need to invest in the sector.
“I am glad to announce that government will continue to do all it can to develop sport. In this financial year, my Ministry will build Community Sport fields to enable our athletes to use state of the art facilities to develop their talent. These community sport fields will be built in 10 constituencies, to the tune of P50 million,” he said.
“We are committed to the development of sport because sport unites people, and it is a sustainable source of employment. I always say in the next century, we will still see 22 people on the pitch playing football, and not machines or robots that have since taken over our jobs. I, therefore, challenge young people to take sport seriously,” he said.
He further acknowledged, Mascom for their contribution to sport, adding the private sector is a major player in the development of sport and athletes in the country. He said the telecommunications company has shown their support for the cause as they have invested P25 million in the Mascom Top 8 tournaments for the past seven years.
“When I took over as Minister responsible for sport in 2014, I continued to encourage the private sector to invest in sport. Some companies heeded my call and supported sport, but amongst these companies, was Mascom, which has made a significant contribution to sport. This is evident through the Mascom sponsored sporting activities such as athletics, horse racing, netball, car racing, chess and karate.”
“This kind of support has in part, motivated our athletes to outdo themselves in various international competitions. For example, these are exciting times in the history of athletics.
So far, the untouchable Isaac Makwala and Amantle Montsho bagged gold medals in their respective 400m races at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in Australia.”
“Baboloki Thebe finished with a silver medal, while Christine Botlogetswe finished fourth. We are very proud of these athletes, and I want to assure you that continued investment in sport, will one day amaze us. This investment is not for our own benefit, but for the generations yet unborn,” Olopeng said.