Ntshinogang named national ladies coach
Sport
Botswana Volleyball Federation (BVF) has named Mafolofolo ladies head coach, Kabo Ntshinogang as the new mentor for the national women side for the next two years.
In an interview with WeekendPost Sport early this week, a senior BVF official confirmed that Ntshinogang has been appointed as the new head coach for the Rio de Janeiro bound volleyball side later this year.
Ntshinogang took over the relay button from Isaac Samuel who has been at the helm for the past two and half years. As part of developing local volleyball coaches, BVF appoints locally produced coaches on rotational basis.
Confirming the development, BVF vice president George Keotsenye said his appointment comes on the backdrop of developing local coaches. Keotsenye told WeekendPost Sport that Ntshinogang will be assisted by Kalavango head coach, Ruth Mbangwa.
As much as BVF would want the ladies national team to represent Botswana at the 2016 Olympic Games to be staged in the historic Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro sometime in August this year, the federation could not give Ntshinogang a results orientated contract.
“The appointment of local coaches to mentor national teams is done rotational basis bearing in mind that the federation does not have the money to pay them. So it is difficult to demand a lot from them,” said Keotsenye.
Keotsenye added that the federation does plead with coaches to do their best at international competition in order to attract attention of big volleyball clubs plying their trade in lucrative leagues around the globe.
According to Keotsenye, BVF was motivated to appoint Ntshinogang because his performance at club level has been really hard to ignore. Ntshinogang and his charges made the country proud late last year after winning the Zone VI Games in Mbabane, Swaziland.
“He has proved to all and sundry that he wave his magic wand. We are keeping our fingers crossed that he can just repeat what he did in Swaziland late last year by taking us to Rio,” said Keotsenye.
WeekendPost Sport efforts to get a comment from Ntshinogang and his assistant proved futile as their mobile phones were off air for the better part of Thursday until press time.
Meanwhile, for Ntshinogang to take to the local ladies to Brazil, he has to pass a hurdle in Yaoundé, Cameroon first. He is expected to lead his troops to Yaoundé during the first week of February for the prestigious Women's African Olympic Qualifiers.
Next month’s qualifiers – expected to kick off from February 12-19 – attracted 17 countries which are Algeria, Tunisia, Gambia, Cape Verde, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Ghana, Congo RDC, Cameroon, Gabon, Kenya, Egypt, Uganda, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Madagascar.
Sport
Orange injects P350 000 into Phikwe marathon
Mobile network Orange Botswana is committed to supporting the development of local sport. Through its sponsorship, the company will be able to promote and market the sport. According to Maano Masisi, the company believes that sport can unite people from different backgrounds.
He stated that through the sponsorship of the marathon, the company will help promote healthy lifestyles and unity among the people of Selebi Phikwe.
The Selebi Phikwe Marathon is scheduled to take place on July 29, 2023. It is expected that it will attract international, regional, and social runners. A total of P216 000 has been allocated for the prize money for the first ten places in the 42.2 km race. For the 15km and 10km races, the LOC will give away prizes to the first five places.
Sport
Big Guns for Botswana Grand Prix
The National Stadium will be lit up with fireworks on April 29, 2023, as some of the best international athletes will participate in the maiden Botswana Grand prix.
This content is locked
Login To Unlock The Content!
Sport
AFRICA’S RECOVERY: Sports as game changer
The year 2022 witnessed unprecedented phenomena. Several Africans- Gotytom Gebreslase, Sharon Lokedi, Victor Kiplangat, Tamarit Tola and many others- swept the World’s marathons records.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the resulting control measures implemented in several countries, led to many high-level sports competitions being cancelled or shelved, the Dakar 2022 Youth Olympic Games was moved to 2026.
Founder and Executive Chairman, African Sports and Creative Institute, Will Mabiakop, says the inability to hold traditional and amateur sports events have had a serious effect on public health overall, including mental health, sparking a revolution whereby athletes began to talk more openly about stress, mental overload and performance anxiety.
“Africa is home to the fastest growing economies before the crisis, no longer on track to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). COVID-19 deepened interdependence between SDGs, making them harder to achieve, especially SDG 10 (reducing inequality) and SDG 5 (gender equality_ as the pandemic had a disproportionate impact on poorer countries, and heavier burdens (such as care work) fell to women.”
Mabiakop stresses that as policymakers contemplate actions to speed up recovery and build resilience, they must argue that sports and creative businesses should play a central feature in this effort.
“The sports economy worldwide is estimated at 5% of GDP, but only 0.5% in Africa. If exploited, Africa’s sports and creative industries can offer policymakers innovative solutions. Especially, as regards job creation, and providing employment to the 15 million people entering the job market annually.”
HOW CAN THE INDUSTRY DO THIS?
By leveraging the two-for-one concept: past studies shown that a 1% growth in the economy delivers a 2% job increment in this sector (these ratios are calculated using data from 48 African countries and adjusted to the reality of the sports economy in Africa by the authors). There are between 30 and 50 job types, in sports and creative industries, respectively. These jobs do not fade away with the first major shock.
Mabiakop indicated that policymakers can use these industries to tackle multiple crises- jobs, poverty, and climate risks. Sports diplomacy- defined as communication, representation and negotiation in or through the prism of sports- has proven effective in building inclusive and cohesive societies. Moreover, sports and the creative industry can support better mental health and well-being, both important for productivity.
“Policymakers can also be true to the game by leveraging culture and tradition to celebrate identity and reap commercial value in sports, textiles and jewelry. Creative sectors allow deeper connection with culture, are not easily copied and provide great economic potential.”
He said supporting grassroots sports has powerful distributional effects. “Fortunately, technology has made reaching wide audiences easier, generating higher rates of success when talent is discovered.”
However, Mabiakop held that potential pitfalls must be highlighted. “First avoid build it and they will come policies with infrastructures denuded from the rest of the ecosystem. Like the many sports stadiums left largely unused.”
“Policymakers must remain mindful of how these sectors move the needle in human capital development. Also, align the requisite public policies needed for progress from grassroots participation to professional sports, and even to international sporting events. They should also support investment instruments to render these sectors performant.”