India Aids Constituency League

Frederick Kebadiretse
Staff Writer | Monday January 11, 2010 00:00

Handing over the donations at the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture in Gaborone on Friday, Indian High Commissioner to Botswana Madhava Chandra said they found it necessary to donate the equipment for further development of sports in Botswana and to reinforce the friendly and cordial relations between the two countries.

'I am sure that this donation of soccer equipment by the government of India will contribute to the development of sports at grassroots level and will be used by the in-school and out of school youth in the constituency competitions,' he said.

Chandra added that the donation was being made at an opportune time as 'South Africa prepares to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals and this is Africa's year, as far as soccer is concerned, and Botswana can not afford to be left behind'.

The donation was made a day before Indian Vice President Shri Mohammed Hamid Ansari arrived on his three-day official visit to Botswana and Chandra expressed hope that agreements likely to be signed by Botswana and India would further boost the cooperation that exists between the two countries.

The Minister of Youth Sports and Culture, Shaw Kgathi, assured the high commissioner that the equipment would be used for its intended purpose. 'It is our hope that this donation will take our constituency tournaments to greater heights,' Kgathi said.

He said the donation was timely because the number of participating teams has increased, leading to a shortage of equipment. Kgathi urged other potential sponsors to continue supporting sports in order to attract the youth to meaningfully participate in sport and stay out of trouble.