BOKA president, Gift Nkwe, said over the weekend that people always try to find problems where there are none and this is not restricted to karate. He explained that Vicky Majama and Bose Caiphus are not in the team because they have not been active. "Both Majama and Caiphus have not been chosen to represent the country because they have not been active in karate for a while," said Nkwe. He explained that Majama has not been training for about six months and Caiphus has not participated in recent BOKA tournaments. He said he has tried to be neutral ever since his appointment as BOKA president in 2004. He stated that they have not completely dumped the karatekas who are not in the team to Serbia. He denied allegations that he was being influenced in his decisions by national team coach Mpho Bakwadi because he is his student.
He said that he is not responsible for the selection of the team. "The team is selected by the coach, thereafter it is assessed by the technical commission which is made up of chief instructors from all styles and then I endorse what has been recommended," he said. Officials from the Botswana Kofukan Federation (BKF) have cried foul saying that the selection of the team to Serbia favoured fellow BOKA affiliate, Hayashi-ha. They say that since 2007, Hayashi-ha karatekas have dominated the national team at the expense of those from BKF. They attribute this to the fact that Bakwadi is the chief instructor of Hayashi-Ha and Nkwe is his student. They claim this is why good BKF karatekas like Majama, Caiphus and Moses Jones are not in the team going to Serbia though they have done the country proud in past international tournaments. "Right now, the position filled by Ofentse 'Shakes' Bakwadi (Under-60) who happens to be the coach's brother should be rightfully occupied by Majama who has never been beaten once by Shakes in a local tournament," one of the BKF officials said. He added that Kaene 'Pace' Kago, another karateka affiliated to Hayashi-ha does not deserve to represent the country in the Under-67 category. He claimed that the slot should have been given to Bose Caiphus, who has lost only once to Kago. "We wonder what criterion is used to select the team because none of the athletes selected for the team match our standards. Coach Bakwadi selects athletes from his federation and because Nkwe is his student, he can easily get away with it," the BKF man said. The federation is concerned by the fact that Bakwadi sits on the board of people who select the national team coach. "How does someone sit in the selection board where they have a personal interest?" one of the BKF officials questioned. Nkwe said his job as BOKA president is not to represent his style but to serve the interests of Botswana karate meaning every karateka is his responsibility. "Concerning the selection of the coach, every candidate submits his or her profile and only the best is chosen and during the adjudication, the applicants are asked to excuse themselves to allow for a discussion on whom to choose," he said. He stated that Bakwadi is a good coach who has successfully led the national team to international tea and keeping him maintains consistency. Bakwadi himself said he is surprised that some BKF members decided to run to the media before approaching the BOKA management. "I do not think the media is the right platform for addressing such issues," he said. He said that the national team is about representing the nation and issues of style affiliation should not be a priority. "If athletes stop training and expect to be chosen for the national team, then they are deceiving themselves," he said. Bakwadi said karate is a disciplined sport and those who decide they are bigger than the national team can be easily dispensed with. "Even if my brother Shakes were to stop training, I would not hesitate dropping him because he would be a waste of national resources," he said. Bakwadi said other styles not represented in the national team are not complaining yet BKF with three karatekas is making noise. "Right now the team consists of three Hayashi-ha members and three BKF members but other styles such as Ryushin-Kan and Shotokan who have not been represented are not complaining," he said.
