AMOS SCOOPS THREE BNSC AWARDS

MOSAH MOKGANEDI
Staff Writer | Monday June 10, 2013 00:00

 

Amos scooped the prestigious sportsperson award after he beat Khaya Groth and Andrian Todd to the junior male award category.To wrap it all, BNSC chairperson Solly Reikeletseng decorated him with the chairperson's award.The award is given to an individual or organisations that have done exceptionally well in the past year.Amos became the first Motswana to win a medal at the Olympic Games.

Amos left the BNSC awards P70, 000 richer. His sport code, the Botswana Athletics Asociation (BAA), grossed the most awards, among them best-executed development plan award and best team award for the 4x4 women relay team. Amantle Montsho, 400 metres world star also added to the BAA accolade haul as Mogomotsi Otsetswe clinched the coach of the year award.

Botswana Volleyball Federation (BVF) emerged the code of the year, while swimmer Naomi Ruele beat her counterparts in the junior female category. In a battle that must have been difficult for judges, karate's Ofentse Bakwadi beat Olympics participants, Oteng Oteng and Isaac Makwala to the sportsman award. Softball umpire Abel Mataboge is the umpire/referee of the year. Former Botswana Chess Federation (BCF) president Tshepo Sitale was named best administrator.     

In the media category, Mmegi/ The Monitor sports writer Fredrick Kebadiretse was crowned best print journalist.Monnakgotla Mojaki was named best broadcast journalist, while Godfrey Mpuse scooped best photographer award. The Echo newspaper was crowned best print media house.The guest speaker at the event, South African swimmer Natalie Du Toit gave an inspiring speech to the athletes. Du Toit was invited to officiate at the event because her story related well with the theme of the awards, History is Written, Impossible is Nothing.She related that she started swimming at a young age, but lost her left leg in a freak accident. After the accident Du Toit did not give up swimming.

'Nothing had changed, I looked different, but still felt the same,' she said.The highly decorated swimmer told athletes that nothing was impossible because after losing her leg she still competed with able-bodied athletes and beat them. Du Toit broke barriers by competing against both able bodied and the disabled athletes.She advised athletes to always remain strong and hopeful when their careers take a nasty twist.'At the beginning it was not easy because neither the able-bodied nor the disabled wanted me to compete with them,' she said.