However, some delegates believe the BAA should lead the way and not the other way around. The BAA has received a P2 million grant from Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) to be used in club development. According to a letter from the secretariat, clubs have been requested to discuss amongst themselves and share ideas with the BAA on how the funds should be distributed. This, according to the BAA, is meant to ensure effective and efficient utilisation to assist clubs in their development. The deadline for the submission of ideas is October 24. However, tension is mounting and some affiliates suspect that the board is using the grant to court favour with the clubs. “The board should come up with a plan, not clubs. There is a strategy, which is not being fulfilled due to lack of funds. Affiliates are asking many questions ahead of the OGM,” one club official said.
Whilst welcoming the idea, Maun Track and Field Club chairperson, Ralph Ledimo, said the board should have led by example. “The board should have put something in place before engaging clubs. Clubs are not equal and our demands are not the same. Some of them become active during elections whilst some never miss any meet,” Ledimo told MmegiSport. He said it is impossible for the funding to be distributed equally. He said clubs like Maun, have athletes coming all the way from the Okavango area and that sportspersons are the responsibility of the club. For his part, the Ramotswa Athletics Club chairperson, Harold Mosomane, said it is a dicey situation because they do not know if the grant is a once-off gesture or something that will come annually. “If it was an annual grant and sustainable, I would say the money should be used looking at BAA key performance areas, which are mainly the development done by clubs. The BAA has projects like how many athletes will qualify for 2025 international events including Tokyo World Athletics Championships and 2028 Olympics,” Mosomane said.
