Regional honour for Montsho

MOSAH MOKGANEDI
Correspondent | Thursday December 9, 2010 00:00

 

The Botswana athlete who also holds the African title will be feted at the Zone VI Games, which start tomorrow. The regional sports authorities have said they will bestow a special award on the athlete for her outstanding performances, particularly in the Commonwealth Games. The award is normally bestowed on a number of outstanding athletes and administrators across Africa but this time Montsho will be the only recipient.

Botswana Athletics Association (BBA) development officer, Bobby Gaseitsiwe said they are happy that Montsho's performance is recognised internationally. He said the award will motivate Montsho and young athletes who want to follow in her footsteps. Montsho is the first Motswana to be given the special award. 

Meanwhile, 161 Botswana athletes leave today for Swaziland to compete in the Zone VI Games. Botswana will be represented in athletics, athletics for the visually-impaired, basketball, boxing, football, netball, swimming and tennis. The country will send five technical officials from boxing, athletics and tennis. A Botswana sports official, Boitshoko Tsiane said they have set a target of 33 medals and at least a fourth place finish. Tsiane said this was done after consultation with the participating sports codes.  In the last games in 2008, Botswana won 32 medals and Tsiane said they did not want to put the team under too much pressure by setting a higher target. He, however, said they want to improve the type of medals won. 'We want those who won silver to win gold this time,' he explained. He said they are targeting eight gold, 13 silver and 12 bronze. He was confident that the team will do well considering that it started training last year. Speaking at the team's send-off ceremony in Gaborone on Tuesday, the Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, Shaw Kgathi urged the competitors to be true ambassadors on and off the field. 'Your conduct should be beyond reproach and representative of Botho for which we are known as a country,' he said. Kgathi said the games serve as a building block for the region's quest for glory at international competitions. He told the contestants not to be under pressure. 'We do not want to put you under any pressure. Just go there and do your best,' he said. Kgathi said sports standards are improving in the country and this year has been particularly good for Botswana in competitions. He cited the success of athletes at the Commonwealth Games and the performance of the Zebras in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.