The Relays team manager, Moshe Gochela, told MmegiSport that he has received complaints from the athletes that they have not been paid allowances for taking part in the relays. He said when they made a follow-up on the payments, the reason given was that the Ministry of Sport and Arts (MoSA) had not released the funds to the Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC).“The team wants to be paid appearance fees, allowance for winning a medal and reaching the finals. The delay in payments is affecting athletes' plans because we have others who are planning to compete in Europe, but they do not have the funds to do so. Now they are saying as athletes, they are only known or respected during competition, from there they are forgotten, whilst people move on with their lives,” Gochela said.He said the team has only received incentives from LUCARA Botswana, which pledged a P1 million sponsorship package towards the team. He said there are other incentives owed from a pledge made by a commercial bank.LUCARA's incentives package was divided into training support and performance-based rewards to assist the team in preparing for the event. There was P705,000 dedicated to allowances for both athletes and officials, while P250,000 covered meals and accommodation during the team's training camp in Letlhakane. There was a P45,000 contingency fund for unforeseen expenses, and additional financial rewards were established for the athletes based on their results during the Debswana World Athletics Relays. BNSC marketing and communication manager, Nlisana Anderson, said they were not aware of any outstanding payments to the team. He said if there was any application that the Botswana Athletics Association (BAA) had made for funding, it will be processed. Meanwhile, BAA chief executive officer, Mabua Mabua, admitted that the athletes were owed allowances for competing at the Debswana World Athletics Relays. He said the payment of allowances is a process and takes time.“The results of doping tests also have an impact on the period that is taken in releasing payments. Athletes are aware of this process, and it is surprising that they are raising complaints right now. It is not like they left the national duty empty-handed; some incentives were paid. Even World Athletics funds are not going to be paid now, but towards the end of the year, it is a process,” Mabua said.He said financial management is a challenge for athletes, hence BAA needs to organise a financial literacy workshop at the end of the season. Mabua said he expects the workshop to assist the athletes as they deal with a lot of money, which ends up being misdirected.
