Kgosietsile bows out after 16-year BNOC reign
Calistus Kolantsho | Friday October 6, 2017 11:47
When Kgosietsile leaves Cresta Lodge in Gaborone tomorrow, a new BNOC president will be in place. Kgosietsile is not seeking re-election after a satisfying reign having been first elected in 2001.
He said he was motivated to run for the presidency as his wish was to take Botswana’s elite sport to a new level on the globe.
He said his first priority upon becoming president was to work collectively with the BNOC board and affiliates.
“I had to put in place an affordable secretariat to undertake the business of BNOC full-time.
We had to develop a strategic plan for the organisation in order to have achievable and relevant objectives meant to propel elite sport. The plan was also meant to mobilise resources to deliver the strategy as well as to sustain operations on an ongoing basis,” he said.
Kgosietsile said when he came into office, sport was not organised as most organisations including BNOC were operating mainly with volunteers without offices and full time employees. He said despite the improvements over the years, there is still a long way to go in sport development.
Kgosietsile said during his tenure there were some achievements that included the establishment of the BNOC secretariat, the strategic plan and the Botswana Long Term Athlete Development Framework (LTAD). He said the LTAD is meant to collectively inform all sport associations strategies.
“We managed to get continued funding from the government and we have developed minimum standards for sport, podium finish at Olympics, Commonwealth Games and other global single and multi-sport games,” he said. Kgosietsile said there has been capacity-building for associations and BNOC both technical, administrative and elite scholarships that have supported elite and upcoming athletes.
The outgoing president said roles between BNOC and Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) should be harmonised. He noted that it is work in progress. Kgosietsile has managed to convince the government that Botswana should be the regional administration sport hub hence African Union Sport Council Region Five (AUSC V), COSANOC and RADO Zone VI are being hosted here.
“The incoming president should secure funding from the private sector and reduce reliance on government, International Olympic Committee and Commonwealth Games Fun,” he said.
Kgosietsile has been appointed president of Confederation of National Olympic Committees of Southern Africa (CNOCSA). Botswana is a member of the organisation. Kgosietsile is a board member of ANOCA and a member of ANOCA Finance Committee and will remain in the positions until 2021. He said his predecessor should be guided by the BNOC board charter, which sets out roles and responsibilities of the board and secretariat. He said the individual should treat members equally. His advice to the voters tomorrow is they should vote for a person with leadership qualities needed for team cohesion.