He said there is a general misconception that women cannot participate in sports like boxing and rugby because they are perceived as men's domain. "You have the right to take part in any sport of your choice," the minister said when he officiated at the AT & T Monnakgotla Women's Football League awards ceremony on Wednesday night. He said the society still continues to doubt women despite demonstrating their mettle in what was originally regarded males' territory. "There are many cultural stereotypes that have tended to trap women in the sphere of underdevelopment with respect to sport and recreation," he said. Kgathi assured sportswomen that it is untrue that they will develop bulky muscles and said those are just perceptions by people who want to discourage women. He said the other perception was that menstruation affects women's ability to participate fully as well as that women have weaker bones that easily get fractured. "The logical conclusion in this regard would be that women who take part in sport become unfeminine, which is not true," he said.
Kgathi said government has also put in place structures to help promote women participation in sport. He said the formation of Women and Sports Botswana (WASBO) under the Botswana National Sports Council (BNSC) is testimony that government takes participation of women in sport seriously. For his part, the Botswana Football Association (BFA) president, David Fani applauded the AT & T Monnakgotla for showing confidence in women's football when no one else did.
