SPEDU bid to host Toyota 1000km Desert Race
Sport
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SPEDU, Dr Mokubung Mokubung announced recently at the Orange Phikwe Marathon Reception Dinner that the SPEDU Region will put in a bid to host the next Toyota 100km Desert Race(TDR) in an effort to diversify sport tourism.
Dr Mokubung said that SPEDU has taken a good firm look at how they can deliver economic diversification promise that their name carries by not only seeking to diversify the regional economy through sport tourism, but to also diversify sport tourism itself.
“Critical stakeholders in the SPEDU Region plan to expand the Region’s sport tourism portfolio by adding to it the Toyota 1000km Desert Race which holds the record of being Botswana’s biggest sporting and social event of the year,” announced Dr Mokubung, who noted that putting up a bid to host the event is a bold move and an ambitious undertaking on which he hopes to receive support from all stakeholders to make the bid successful.
Dr Mokubung’s words might have warmed up the heart of the Town Mayor, Molosiwa Molosiwa who had earlier on in his welcome remarks asked President Mokgweetsi Masisi to help them achieve their dream of hosting Mantshwabisi as the TDR is popularly known.
Reportedly, the race will this year be held in Gantsi Region, moving away from Jwaneng which has been home for the much loved off-road motor spectacle for the past years after moving from Mantshwabisi. With SPEDU company flexing its muscle to skew the axis to SPEDU Region, it remains to be seen which region will host one the biggest regional off-road races which is regarded a curtain raiser for the Dakar Rally.
The SPEDU executive revealed that the World Trade Organisation recognises sport tourism as an emerging market and classifies sport as the number one industry in the leisure sector and therefore it is incumbent upon the Region “to seize this transformative business potential with both hands.”
He said the SPEDU Region has all the fundamentals in place, wide open areas, suitable terrain, adequate infrastructure and facilities that can accommodate visitors, a town that has amassed a wealth of experience in hosting an international sport event in the form of the IAAF accredited Phikwe National Marathon and a warm-hearted welcoming community. These fundamentals, Dr Mokubung said gives them confidence that the Region can host the next TDR and to that end, the region will definitely put in a bid to host the event.
“Our expectation is that the Desert Race will compliment what the marathon already does for SPEDU Region which is empower local traders, create employment, provide a marketing platform for companies, serve as a stakeholder map to deliver the marathon on an annual basis, connect Selebi Phikwe with surrounding villages, promote the town as an investment destination and create a relationship between the local business community, general public as well as with the private and public sector,” he said.
About Phikwe National Marathon
The CEO stated that as part of the Tourism Development Strategy for the SPEDU Region, events have been prioritised to stimulate the economy and Phikwe National Marathon is to be held every year without fail. He commended President Masisi for investing the prestige of his office in the Orange Phikwe National Marathon by being its patron, saying that the president’s patronage will in turn enhance the prestige of the marathon and attract both runners and investors to Selebi Phikwe.
Dr Moubung commended Orange for its support and promised that while this year was Orange‘s final year of the three year sponsorship, SPEDU and Selebi Phikwe Town Council (SPTC) will continue to support the race and further assist in identifying other sponsors for the sporting event which forms part of the town’s history which needs to be preserved by holding the event every year.
“Hosting an IAAF accredited marathon demands a substantial amount of choreography that plays itself out over an extended period of time. In that regard, I want to thank the Local Organising Committee for the hard work and dedication that its members have put in to deliver a marathon of this magnitude. This marathon is an international event and by that measure alone, affirms our status as international citizens,” said Dr Mokubung.
He commended the Organising Committee further noting that the committee’s diligence in putting the marathon together has made the people of Selebi Phikwe, SPEDU Region and Batswana in general to look good to the world, further pointing out that the experience gained by committee members can be transferred to other event management projects of similar nature.
Other SPEDU sponsored events that have been held in the SPEDU Region across various sectors include the games for parastatals under the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry, Maunatlala Agricultural Show, Bobonong Agricultural Show, Selebi Phikwe Softball Extravaganza Tournament, Mmadinare Agricultural Show, Selebi Phikwe Trade and Exhibition Show and Tour de Tuli.
Sport
Orange Botswana gift Tebogo with P150K
Local sprinter, Letsile Tebogo has been rewarded with a whopping P150 000.00 by Orange Botswana for his heroics at the recently held World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
Speaking at a Handover Ceremony for Tebogo, Orange Botswana Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Maano Masisi said, Orange Botswana is steadfast in their commitment to nurturing the youth and promoting sports in diverse ways.
“Letsile stands as a formidable force and an inspiration to young Batswana, showcasing the value of sports not only in Botswana but on an international stage through his remarkable achievements. Orange Botswana, furthermore, desires to cultivate enduring relationships with aspiring young Batswana, much like Letsile, who embody dedication, focus, and excellence in their endeavors. Letsile has already shattered records, etching new milestones for the African continent and beyond,”
Masisi further said the partnership aligns seamlessly with Orange Botswana’s dedication to acknowledging exceptional individual talent like Tebogo.
“As previously announced when we started this relationship, our collaboration with yourself entails financial support from Orange Botswana to fuel your journey in competitive sports, alongside your representation as the face of Orange Botswana,” he said.
For his part, Tebogo pleaded with Orange Botswana to extend his contract as it is beneficial to him, “I am thankful to Orange Botswana and I hope they could extent my contract as it has been very helpful.”
Meanwhile, Tebogo’s coach, Kebonyemodisa ‘Dose’ Mosimanyana was also showered with P10 000.00 for always ensuring that Tebogo is ready to take on the world.
Sport
Athletes confront Minister Rakgare
Local athletes, Zibane Ngozi and Letsile Tebogo have confronted Minister of Youth, Gender and Culture, Tumiso Rakgare citing lack of support during preparations.
Speaking at the World Champs team Welcome Ceremony on Wednesday, the 4 x 400m relay specialist and Team Captain, Ngozi urged some of the government officials inclusive of Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) representative, Rakgare to attend these high-profile competitions to witness the hardships they go through during these competitions.
“People need to understand it is not easy for us when we arrive at the World stage, there is a lot that is going on hence we need support in order for us to succeed as expected.
However, I am happy that immediately when I arrived in Botswana, BNSC credited our allowances which was a good thing because we had lots of debts (jokingly) thus we manage to settle them,” he said.
On the other hand, Tebogo who brought home two medals (silver and bronze) from 100m and 200m respectively at the World Champs said most athletes are going through depression due unfavorable conditions.
“Most of us going through depression because we lack support during preparations, we are only celebrated when we win but in hard times we are forgotten. Athletics is a difficult sport hence we need all the support we could to make it through and eventually amass medals as it is expected by our country,”
For his part, Rakgare admitted that local sport is faced with challenges, including but not limited to a tough sponsorship environment, limited or no sport in public schools, doping and leadership instability.
“I would of course be surprised if anyone of you would not agree with me that notwithstanding the challenges, we continue to achieve unprecedented results in sport, and the year to date is no exception,” he said.
Rakgare gave special recognition to Oratile Rose Nowe for heroics at the World Champs, “I would like to take this opportunity and congratulate Nowe for attaining a new personal best 2:01.62 in Women’s 800m, which also happens to be a national record. By the way, Oratile is the first Motswana woman to ever qualify for the World Championships in middle distance running.”
According to Rakgare, Government, recognizes athletes’ achievements at any and every competition, and that is why most recently, they have rewarded them at the Youth and Sport Awards.
“I would like to thank the Government of Botswana for their investment in sport. We continue to pride ourselves in being one of the best funders of sport per capita, and as indicated earlier, we are not intending to slow down anytime soon,”
On a lighter note, World Champs BW Team was rewarded by various companies such as Debswana, Choppies, Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) and also government as a token of appreciation for participating in Hungary.
Tebogo was rewarded with P560 000 from Debswana, Choppies and BPC for bringing two medals home, 4 x 400m men relay finalists (Ngozi, Baboloki Thebe, Laone Ditshetelo and Leungo were given P25 000 apiece for reaching the finals and participating by Debswana; while ladies (Tlhomphang Basele, Golekanye Chikani, Lydia Jele, Oratile Nowe, Galefele Moroko, Obakeng Kamberuka were given P10 000 each for participation.
In addition, the World Champs team amassed P926 000.00 of which P250 000 would go to Tebogo and the remaining P676 000 will be shared amongst the rest of the team.
Sport
BONA to host 2023 Africa Netball Cup
With several local associations currently going through a rough patch in terms of financial quagmires, Botswana Netball Association (BONA) Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mokeresete Mokeresete is optimistic to host the 2023 Africa Netball Cup as per the request from African Netball Board (Executive Committee) because Uganda has pulled out.
Will it be successful or finally quench the thirst of competing internationally?
The African Netball Championships or Africa Netball Cup are a netball competition held every after two years with teams from across Africa competing for the top price.
BONA National team competed in the last edition of the Africa Netball Cup which was held in 2021 in Namibia and they finished in position seven which was average.
Last time BONA hosted an event of this magnitude was the 2017 Netball Youth World Cup which was indeed a success even though the local team (Dinaletsana) finished in position 10.
One would have thought that the Dinaletsana team which looked promising would eventually go on and conquer the world in the following international competitions. However, that has not been the case as they struggled to qualify for the recent World Cup which was held in the neighboring South Africa.
In addition, the Botswana Netball League was last played in November 2022 and in 2023 they hosted a Fast Five Netball Cup just before the Netball World Cup.
In an interview with WeekendSport this week, BONA Public Relations Officer (PRO) said they have accepted to host the 2023 Africa Netball Cup following the pulling out of Uganda.
“We have recently accepted a request to the 2023 Africa Netball Cup, however – we are still working on finalizing all the logistics that will be in play as you are aware that hosting an event requires a budget which might be difficult because we were given a smaller potion in the recent financial year.
Furthermore, we are yet to come up with a consolidated budget which could help us map a way forward as we really want to stage this particular competition. It is vital for us to host this competition as we want to revitalize local netball, we want to attract more for the league,” said Mokeresete Mokeresete.
MORE NETBALL ACTION AHEAD?
Mokeresete further hinted that the upcoming Independence Cup will be preparatory tournament for the upcoming Africa Netball Cup.
“We are going to host the Independence Cup of which we are expected at least 16 ladies’ teams and a few of male’ teams as we are still swiftly introducing the male section to the sport in Orapa.
However, prior to the action we are going conduct courses for match officials, technical official and coaches’ beginners’ level 1 courses as an effort of improve the standards of the sporting code,” hinted Mokeresete.
MISSING THE RECENT NETBALL WORLD CUP WAS CATASTROPHIC
According to BONA PRO, missing the recent Netball World Cup was catastrophic as players missed out on an opportunity to showcase their talents on the world stage which was bound to garner those deals to more professional countries in terms of Netball.
“We are seeing lots of movement for players from countries like Zimbabwe which is remarkable and that could have happened for our player – but it wasn’t to be as we did not qualify for the main event.
Moreover, through the World Cup Legacy Program, we have been awarded a sprung board and we are contention to transport it from South Africa to the country as one of the requirements to host a sporting event is to have a sprung floor,”
Meanwhile, the 2023 Africa Netball Cup is scheduled between November 26 – October 06 2023 at University of Botswana (UB) Indoor Sports Arena.