BNOC given greenlight to bid for African Youth Games

| Wednesday April 11, 2012 00:00

In a media statement, the BNOC had previously submitted an expression of interest with the Games' rights holders, the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA), and were awaiting government approval before taking the matter to the next level.

The African Youth Games are multi-sport competitions for athletes aged 18 years and younger, and while they are Games on their own right, they also serve the additional purpose of providing a qualifying platform for young African athletes in respect of the Youth Olympic Games, the next edition of which will be held in Nanjing, China, in 2014.

Should the Games be hosted in Botswana, they will be the biggest international sport spectacle the country has ever staged, as they are expected to bring together around 2,500 athletes from 54 African nations competing in more than 15 sports disciplines.

In addition, more than 1,500 officials and several hundreds of other stakeholders such as journalists, representatives of continental and world sporting bodies, talent scouts and parents will also be expected at the Games.

BNOC officials who will be attending the Association of National Olympics Committees (ANOC) general meeting in Moscow, Russia, this week are expected to meet with ANOCA officials as well as make a presentation to African delegates on Botswana's readiness to host the mega continental showpiece.

BNOC chief executive officer (CEO), Tuelo Serufho could not hide his excitement that by allowing the BNOC to put in a formal bid, the government is not only demonstrating commitment to sports development in the country, but is also showing a vote of confidence in Botswana sports authorities' ability to stage major competitions.

Serufho stated that 'benefits that will be derived from hosting the Games are quite many and include but not limited to business generation, tourism promotion, profiling of the country, skills development and indeed development of sport, therefore the games are a big deal and have the potential of shaping the future of Botswana sport'.