Naletsana unveiled as Netball World Cup mascot
Naledi Lemogang | Tuesday May 23, 2017 16:49
The mascot of a girl in a netball kit is meant to inspire the local team to go for gold. Naletsana is derived from the name ‘Naledi’ which is a ‘Star’.
The name embodies the values and inspirations of Botswana to shine and sparkle like the nation’s most valued natural resource ‘diamond’, Botswana Netball Association (BONA) president, Tebogo Lebotse-Sebego said. “Naletsana is Under-21 and is fluent in both Setswana and English, she has immense respect for all.
She also loves netball passionately and takes her education and learning seriously,” Lebotse-Sebego said about the mascot. The unveiling of the mascot came at a time when the country is left with 45 days to host the first ever world netball event in Africa.
Lebotse-Sebego said they are grateful that the mascot is officially launched and they believe that the team will be inspired throughout their preparations.
Meanwhile the five-week, Spar Botswana tournament that was dedicated to preparing the team for the tournament, ended on a fruitful note for the junior side, which was crowned champions.
The tournament, which had six teams was organised by Spar Botswana last month as one of their contribution towards preparing the team.
The Under-21 team won 51-55 against their male counterparts after extra time. They had equalised 44-44 at the end of the last quarter. “The girls had the opportunity to practice, play in a game situation and they were exposed to different types of play.
We had the local girls team and the men’s team. The idea to bring the men’s team to this tournament was to expose the girls to a tough environment with fast players,” Lebotse-Sebego said.
She said she is happy how the teams have been hard on the girls, as their World Cup opponents will display similar strength. The team is expected to leave for Australia this week for further preparations and they are expected back in the second week of June for their final camp.