UB Stadium closed ahead of athletics meet

VICTOR MUYAKWABO
Staff Writer | Thursday March 31, 2011 00:00

 

The championships were initially pencilled for the National Stadium but the organisers were forced to find an alternative venue after reports that renovations at the facility were incomplete. The UB Stadium track re-surfacing will cost more than P2 million. The project was already in the pipeline even before the facility was identified to host the African Junior Athletics Championships.

A UB sports official, Reuben Raj Rathedi said they have fast-tracked the resurfacing because of the athletics meet. Botswana was awarded the right to host the event from May 12 to 15.

Rathedi urged Batswana to be patient during the time the stadium will be closed. 'We ask Batswana to understand that the closure of the UB Stadium is for a good purpose as we are preparing the stadium for the Africa Junior Athletics Championships in May,' he stressed.

He said during the closure, football will be hard hit as most Gaborone Premier League clubs use the facility. 'We understand that football is going to be affected very much as they depend on the stadium for their games in Gaborone. The Under-23 team's return leg against Egypt which was supposed to be played at the stadium will also be affected,' he said.

At one stage, there were fears that Botswana might fail to host the championships due to the non-availability of a suitable venue. But the fears were allayed when the UB Stadium was identified as an alternative. Meanwhile, the unavailability of both the UB and National Stadiums will leave some Premier League teams with no choice but to play their games outside Gaborone.

There are 10 Premier League clubs in and around Gaborone who frequently use the UB Stadium for their home games.