90% of 2012 Zebras squad suffered from high BP
Calistus Kolantsho | Friday June 2, 2017 14:43
Onyewadume told Mmegi Sport that tests conducted on the players had shown that they suffered from high blood pressure and he had to come up with a tailor-made training programme to address the problem. “When I was engaged as a physical trainer, I conducted tests on the players, and the outcome was shocking.
This goes back to the fact that such tests are not conducted at club level. It is crucial that players get physical trainers at club level, to monitor their diet and the kind of the exercise they do,” Onyewadume said.
He said local athletes are sitting on a time bomb, with their health status unknown. High blood pressure can lead to stroke or heart attack. Onyewadume, who is the head of department - physical education at the University of Botswana said sports science was not appreciated by local administrators.
He said with sports science, they are able to improve the performance of athletes, health and prevent injuries. Onyewadume said it was important for sports scientists to be part of the development of sport in any country. “Nothing is done to absorb sports science graduates from UB. At the moment, what is happening is that the graduates are expected to be teachers.
It is the duty of officials of various sporting codes to liaise with the university or Ministry of Education and Skills Development to identify students that specialise in sports science so that they absorb them into sport codes and employ them,” he said. He said they can see how they develop them through internal training.
Onyewadume said a retired player cannot be a good coach compared to a trained physical educator. He said graduates use their knowledge to assist athletes due to their acquired science knowledge. He said that way the country would move forward.
Onyewadume added that sport nutrition is important to the performance of an athlete.
“After athletes have been through a tough competition, their bodies should be made to recover. If they are not given the right diet to recover, they cannot perform at their best. There are some nutritional supplements that do not contain banned substances and they should be given to athletes to assist them recover,” he said.
Botswana Football Association (BFA) have since failed to replace Onyewadume since he left after the 2012 AFCON finals. BFA public relations officer, Tumo Mpatane said Zebras physiotherapist, Mpho Bogopa doubles as a physical trainer.
The senior national rugby team also does not have a person who has a qualification in sports science. Botswana Rugby Union secretary general, Ernest Mantsi said they have a partnership with a local gym where the team does physical training.
Boxing spokesperson, Kenny Maragana said national team coach, Master Luza is pursuing physical education at UB. He said Luza is a level three coach, which makes him a top coach in the country.