NSAs decry Absence of School Sports

The absence of school sports had a contribution on the country’s average showing at the recent African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5 Games, National Sport Associations (NSAs) have told Business Weekly & Review Sports . This prevailing view in the aftermath of a rather dismal showing of Team Botswana at the last the Games is also shared by assistants sports minister Buti Billy. [ihc-hide-content ihc_mb_type="show" ihc_mb_who="1,3,2,4" ihc_mb_template="1" ] Botswana finished in fifth position with a total of 47 medals at this year’s edition of the Games which were held in Lilongwe, Malawi from 2 to 11 December 2022. This was decline in the country’s performance from the previous edition of the Games in Lesotho last year where, Team Botswana attained Position 2 with a total of 68 medals - 24 golds, 21 silvers, 23 bronzes. School sports, the absence of which NSA are blaming for Botswana’s decline in Malawi, were halted in March 2020 due to budgetary constraints. “School sports is where the foundation of sports is and that is where it is easy to actually organise sports at the formative stage of the youth,” the president of Botswana Volleyball Federation (BVF), Tsoseletso Magang, said in an interview. “It was always easy for us when we had school sports and our performance would have been better if school sports was there.” At Botswana Athletics Association (BAA), President Paphane Botlhale noted that the absence of schools sports is delaying his code’s progress. “We could have attained more medals (as athletics) at the Games,” he said in an interview. “We could have even increased the number of events that we participated in because athletics is made up of track and field events and done a lot better. “School sports is important because it enables us to identify athletes at a young age and to nurture them until they become professionals.” The Secretary General of the Botswana Boxing Association (BOBA) is convinced that his code could have done a lot better with the presence of school sports. “We won four bronze medals at the Games, which is not bad,” he said. “We were hoping for gold.” “But with absence of school sports, we struggled. Besides, our team was made up of students, which affected our preparations. Had we had school sports, they could have had regular practice with teachers at their respective schools.” Lecturer in the Sports Science Department of the University of Botswana, Dr Tshephang Tshube, concurs with these spokespersons of NSAs that the absence of school sports is affecting the country’s talent development. “It is evident in current results but it will show more when we go to African Games and other major international competitions next year,” Dr Tshube said. “It will show throughout subsequent games. We have seen, for example, that our athletics performance is the one that redeemed the medals table at the Games.” “Had it not been for athletics stepping up to rescue the situation, it could have been worse. But even the performance of athletics was not at the level we expected it to be.” He said school sports is important for three fundamental things. “The first is that it identifies talent; teachers in the schools identify athletes who are talented,” he pointed out. “In addition, there is continuous training, which is talent development. Thirdly, selecting athletes for competitions. School sports enables different sporting codes to select top talents who can represent them at various competitions.” The absence of school sports therefore means that it is difficult to identify young athletes, he asserted. “And some of them fall through the cracks,” he said. “It is also difficult to develop them because there is no formalised standard structure that develops them and there is no way of clearly selecting talented athletes. “Athletes who competed at the AUSC are good, but it possible that we have other athletes who could have been on the team but were not because the selection process was compromised due to the absence of schools sports.” Meanwhile, speaking at Team Botswana’s welcome ceremony, the Assistant Minister of Youth, Gender, Sports and Culture, Buti Billy, also expressed the view that the absence of schools sports affected the performance of Team Botswana at the Games. “Indeed, we appreciate that the absence of sports at schools has had an impact on our performance,” he said. “I want to assure Batswana that my ministry is working hard to ensure that a programme that will cover both school-going and out-of-school athletes will be implemented early in 2023. “For the upcoming editions of the Games, we are going to compete but not to participate.” Formerly known as the Supreme Council for Sports in Africa (SCSA) Zone V Games, the AUSC Games take place on a biennial basis and target athletes under the age of 20. The Region 5 Games have grown to become a key development component and springboard for athletes. Several have gone through these Games, key among them being South Africa’s Wayde Van Niekerk and Botswana’s Nigel Amos and Naomi Ruele. [/ihc-hide-content]

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NSAs decry Absence of School Sports

…as Botswana finishes 5th at AUSC Games

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NSAs decry Absence of School Sports

…as Botswana finishes 5th at AUSC Games

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