… but insufficient funds result in a leaner – and hopefully meaner – delegation of 184 athletes and officials to the games in Namibia
TLOTLO KEBINAKGABO
The Botswana National Sports Commission (BNSC) has set aside P11.2 million for the country’s participation in the Region V African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Games.
Confirming this, BNSC Director of Sports Development, Peaceful Seleka, added that the games – which were initially scheduled for 6 to 15 June – will now take place from 4 to 13 July 2025 in the Namibian cities of Windhoek and Swakopmund.
Botswana has so far registered a delegation of 184 athletes and officials for the competition.
Streamlined
Seleka told this publication in an interview that the allocated funds will cover team preparations, attire, lodging, allowances, registration, and other logistical expenses.
However, financial constraints have compelled BNSC to streamline its delegation by excluding certain sporting codes, among them karate, men’s football, men’s volleyball, and the women’s basketball team.
“It’s not as though we wanted to cut these athletes,” said Seleka. “It was basically due to a lack of funds. These are development games, and we would have liked for all these athletes to take part.
“However, we are still engaging with the Ministry of Sports and the Arts to see how best we can reinstate them. We are working around the clock to do so.”
More women
Despite the financial challenges, Botswana remains committed to gender equity in sports.
According to Seleka, while the goal is to have equal numbers of male and female athletes, the current registration for the games includes more women than men.
Preparations for the competition are well underway, with individual sporting codes conducting their own training regimens.
Under 20
“The codes are training individually, but we are assisting them as best as we can,” Seleka said.
The sporting disciplines representing Botswana at the games include athletics, men’s basketball, boxing, judo, women’s football, netball, swimming, table tennis, tennis, Special Olympics, and women’s volleyball.
Previously known as the Supreme Council for Sports in Africa (SCSA) Zone V Games, the AUSC Region V Games are held biennially and feature athletes under the age of 20 in various sporting disciplines.
Several top athletes
The competition has served as a launching pad for many top athletes, including Botswana’s Olympic silver medalist Nigel Amos and swimmer Naomi Ruele, as well as South Africa’s world record-holding sprinter Wayde van Niekerk.
The BNSC remains hopeful that additional funding will be secured to restore the participation of the affected sporting codes, ensuring that more young athletes can benefit from the developmental opportunities the games offer.