120 young judokas turned up for the camp, marking rising popularity of judo among Botswana’s youth
TLOTLO KEBINAKGABO
The Botswana Judo Federation (BJF) is witnessing significant growth in youth participation that it says bodes well for the sport’s future.
BJF hosted the Gaborone Kids Training Camp over the weekend, bringing together young athletes from various development centres for an intensive session focused on technical, physical and ethical training.
“It is during this camp that we realised that our numbers are growing,” said Edwin Sello, BJF’s development director. “We are very happy with what we are seeing – our development programmes are doing very well.”
National cadet and junior teams
The camp attracted around 120 young judokas, a figure that Sello said underscores the sport’s rising popularity among Botswana’s youth.
The goal, he added, was to enhance skills, instil sportsmanship, and identify promising athletes for future national cadet and junior teams.
However, the event was not without its challenges. Sello expressed disappointment that financial constraints prevented athletes from outside Gaborone from participating.
Re Ba Bona Ha tournament
“We have centres in Letlhakane and Selibe-Phikwe, but young players from those areas couldn’t attend due to limited funds,” he said. “It is our hope that we will organise something for them in the near future.”
The training camp came at a critical time for Botswana’s judo community as the federation is gearing up to host the Re Ba Bona Ha tournament on 15 March in Gaborone.
The competition, which will feature athletes as young as 7, is expected to nurture emerging talent further. “This is how we build the next generation of champions,” Sello said.