Seven local boxers - Mooketsi 'Tornado' Lekgetho, Bathusi Mogajane, Mmoloki 'Muller' Nogeng, Oteng Oteng, Ofentse Kompone, Gomotsang Gaasite and Thato Batshegi - are in camp at the Athletes' Village in Gaborone West. Batshegi, gold medallist at last year's National Championships, has been roped in as Seoko's replacement.
The team is preparing for the Africa Olympic qualifiers set for Rabat, Morocco, in April. Local boxers failed to reach the medal stages of the World Boxing Championships that were held in Baku, Azerbaijan, last September with only two African boxers, both from Algeria, getting automatic qualification to compete in London 2012. The setback leaves the Rabat qualifiers Botswana boxers' hope of making it to London.But Seoko has been denied the opportunity to battle it out for a berth in the Olympics, despite his 2010 Commonwealth successful run that saw him bag a bronze medal before he was awarded a silver after the Sri Lankan boxer, who won gold, was found to have used performance-enhancing drugs. Botswana Boxing Association (BoBA) publicity secretary, Willough Kemoen gave different reasons for Seoko's axing, also revealing that they were dealing with some "personal issues".
