Special Olympics'ball to be handed to Kgathi

MOSAH MOKGANEDI
Correspondent | Friday June 4, 2010 00:00

'The ball' arrived in Botswana from Namibia on Tuesday and has been to several places like Ramotswa, Kanye and Mochudi. Special Olympics Botswana director, Ross Tebele said they feel honoured to have been one of the countries that had a chance to receive the ball. 

The ball is a FIFA project that is used to raise awareness about the Special Olympics for the intellectually challenged through football and it is part of the World Cup activities. The worldwide journey of the ball  started in Battersea Park in London where the first game of modern rules started in 1864. Every four years, the ball travels to the World Cup-hosting country.

This year it is estimated to have covered 15,000-miles to South Africa through West Africa and East Africa. The 2010 ball was hand-crafted in Kenya by Alive & Kicking - a non-profit making organisation.

In Africa, the ball passed through Morocco, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Cote d' Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia and Namibia before it reached Botswana.

Teams made from intellectually -challenged children will also make part of the World Cup activities and Tebele said they would send two children to South Africa to join the rest from other countries to make a complete football team.   It was not immediately clear if Kgathi will be able to receive the ball as he is out of the country on official duty. He arrives tomorrow.