Newly-elected BoBA president Dirang Thipe says his committee aims to restore the sport’s reputation and competitiveness by “going back to the basics and moving forward with structure and accountability”
TLOTLO KEBINAKGABO
After several years marked by dwindling fortunes and missed opportunities on the international stage, the Botswana Boxing Association (BoBA) is seeking redemption and has a bold new leadership team and a clear-defined plan for the purpose.
Newly-elected BoBA president Dirang Thipe says his committee is committed to restoring the sport’s reputation and competitiveness by “going back to the basics and moving forward with structure and accountability”.
Speaking to Gazette Sports in an interview following his election, Thipe emphasised the importance of aligning with global best practices, bolstering grassroots systems, and investing in women’s boxing.
School sports organisations
“For us to match international standards, we ought to adopt best practices, follow trends and improvise where applicable,” he said.
At the heart of BoBA’s renewed strategy is restoration of development structures, which have suffered from neglect in recent years. “One main priority is to restore development structures to enable us to recruit, train and retain talent,” Thipe said.
“That means reviving vacation and out-of-school camps, and empowering the Development Committee with members from school sports organisations like BISA and BOTESSA.”
Officials, coaches and administrators
He stressed that a strong talent pool is essential not just for local competitions but for the global arena. “Having a pool of talent will enable us to get the best athletes out of this country and allow us to broadly search for talent through our sporting stakeholders,” he said.
To that end, BoBA plans to invest in training and empowering not only athletes but also officials, coaches and administrators. “Well-trained officials will help us match international standards,” he said. “The more volunteers we have, the more games we can host and participate in.”
A key component of BoBA’s vision is revitalising grassroots boxing. For Thipe and his team, this effort depends on collaboration. “BoBA exists through structure,” he said. “When it thrives, the entire boxing ecosystem flourishes.
The grassroots
“Partnerships with school sports programmes, district councils, and community organisations will be essential in achieving our goals for grassroots boxing.”
Making the sport more accessible to children, especially those in remote areas, is also a top priority.
As women’s boxing continues to surge globally, BoBA has made it clear that it intends to ride the wave. The new leadership is crafting strategies to not only encourage participation but to also provide a safe and supportive environment for female athletes.
“Coaching women is a special skill”
“Coaching women is a special skill, and we must impart that knowledge to our trainers and administrators,” said Thipe. “We will also develop a customised safeguarding policy for women and break the myth that boxing is not for women.”
BoBA plans to introduce women-specific tournaments like the Youth Women Boxing Championship and the Elite Women Boxing Championship.
Thematic events like the “Breast Cancer Awareness Boxing Tournament” and the “All Women Sparring Sessions” are expected to further encourage participation.
Governance and engagement
In a progressive step, clubs may soon be required to maintain a minimum percentage of female athletes. “We want to make boxing fashionable and genderless,” Thipe said.
BoBA’s recent setbacks have not been without lessons. The new committee acknowledges that part of the sport’s decline was due to failures in governance and stakeholder engagement.
“We have learned that packaging a sporting code is crucial,” said Thipe. “Accountability, trust and communication are everything.”
Deep in rural areas
The new committee has vowed to fully embrace principles of good governance. “We shall communicate, account and report accordingly,” he said. Our stakeholders will remain informed at all times. Investor or stakeholder protection is critical. We must retain and mobilise impactful relationships.”
One of the more ambitious goals is to take boxing beyond urban centres. “We will have boxing tournaments deep in rural areas and people’s locations,” said Thipe. “We aim to contribute to sports tourism and promote boxing as a tool to bring peace and unity to communities.”