It has left the sporting fraternity shell-shocked because such incidents are rare in Botswana. The shock is made more severe because it comes almost on the eve of the Commonwealth Games where Baloyi was expected to test- and prove - his mettle. The nation is seized with anticipation and hope that our representatives will bring medals from the competition to be hosted by New Delhi, India from October 3 to 14. But it is precisely because of the imminence of the Games that there is increased focus on athletes. However, the passion of our anticipation is suddenly tempered by the bad news that Baloyi failed testing for banned substances after he took an energy drink that contained illicit performance drugs, unwittingly, as the athlete says.
In the wake of the incident, the Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC) has publicly accepted blame, citing general lack of education on doping. Its Chief Executive Officer, Tuelo Serufho, has promised that they will be more vigilant to stop a repeat of the Baloyi incident, which has certainly tarnished our country's reputation.
