Codes intensify Botswana Games� preps
Calistus Kolantsho | Friday December 1, 2017 12:24
The paralympics team will go into a training camp at Lentswe Junior Secondary School in Mochudi today. The camp ends on December 8 when the team travels to Gaborone for the competition, which starts on December 10. The team is made up of visually impaired athletes and the team’s manager, Boikanyo Ratlou told Mmegi Sport they want to come up with a strong team to represent Botswana at the 2018 AUSC Region V Games next year December. The team has 45 athletes, 27 boys and 18 girls. Ratlou said they would be competing at the same venue as able bodied athletes.
Badminton has also upped their preparations with the man in charge, Thuso Mudongo saying the games present an opportunity to unearth talent. He said in most instances players from rural areas do not make it to the final stage of Botswana Integrated Sport Association (BISA) games. He said only a few players from urban centres proceed to the finals due to facilities at their disposal.
“Botswana Games is an opportunity for players from rural areas to showcase their talent and compete at a higher level. These Games are bigger than BISA games. Right now we have players at Motopi JSS who would be competing in the Botswana Games. They have talent but the challenge is their location,” he said.
Mudongo said the number of players has been reduced, with every district sending four players. The venue for badminton is not yet decided, but BUAN Hall and St Joseph’s College have been identified. Judo manager, Ishmael Thaga said they would be making their debut at the Botswana Games. He said judo does not cover all districts hence the decision to have it as a stand alone competition. “The challenge we have is that we do not have many qualified coaches. We are in the process of sorting that out so that we deploy them around the country,” he said. Judo has clubs in Gaborone, Mochudi, Mmopane and Mogoditshane. Other Botswana Games sporting codes and their managers are: tennis (Millicent Mokubung), football (China Matlhaku), volleyball (Nshakazhogwe Bapoga), boxing (Healer Modiradilo), chess (Vincent Masole), basketball (Boitumelo Bante), swimming (Puni Gaetsewe), athletics (Raymond Phale), softball (Ronald Molete), karate (Karabo Samuel) and netball (Thulaganyo Retshabile).
Platinum award: 60 years in karate, 50 years of administration and 7th Dan Gold award: 50 years in karate, 40 years of administration and 6th Dan Silver award: 40 years in karate, 30 years of administration and 5th Dan Bronze award: 30 years in karate, 20 years of administration and 4th Dan