- The training camps serve a dual purpose of shielding athletes from potential distractions during the festive season and fostering discipline
GAZETTE REPORTER
Because Botswana Athletics Association (BAA) has no funds to run a training camp, athletes will spend the festive season without structured preparation.
Renowned for organising training camps during the festive season to keep athletes focused, BAA has thus been forced to abandon the practice this year.
The organisation’s vice president administration, Oabona Theetso, noted in a telephone interview: “We usually organise a training camp to keep the athletes busy during December but that will not be happening this year because we do not have the funds to do so.”
Training camp next year
The training camps serve a dual purpose of shielding athletes from potential distractions during the festive season and fostering discipline.
“We just hope that they will stay focused and disciplined during the festive season so that they come back ready and strong when the season begins in January,” said Theetso.
“We will certainly organise a training camp sometime next year. We will also organise more competitions (and send some of the athletes to international ones to keep them active.”
Five athletes
BAA remains the sole code with qualified athletes for the Olympic Games that will be held in Paris, France from 26 July to 11 August 2024.
Five athletes, namely Bayapo Ndori (400m), Letsile Tebogo (100m and 200m), Leungo Scotch (400m), Tshepiso Maselela (800m) and Collen Kebinatshipi (400m), have secured qualification.
However, uncertainty persists regarding the preparation of these athletes for the prestigious event.
“And it’s not only for them,” said Theetso. “We want to qualify more athletes for the upcoming Olympics and we hope that will happen.”
Tahiti
He underscored the association’s commitment to expanding its representation at the international sporting spectacular.
The 2024 Olympics, officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Paris 2024, is a forthcoming international multi-sport event scheduled for Paris as the main host city.
Sixteen other cities spread across metropolitan France, plus one sub site in Tahiti, an island within the French overseas collectivity of French Polynesia, will have a share of the Olympiad.
Paris was awarded the Games at the 131st International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session in Lima, Peru on 13 September 2017. After multiple withdrawals that left only Paris and Los Angeles in contention, the IOC approved a process to concurrently award the 2024 and 2028 Olympics to the two cities.
Three times for Paris
Having previously hosted in 1900 and 1924, Paris will become the second city after London to host the Olympics three times.
Marking the centenary of Paris 1924, these Olympic Games will be the sixth hosted by France (three in summer and three in winter), and the first French Olympics since the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville.
Following Paris 2024, the Games will return to the traditional four-year Olympiad cycle, as the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo was delayed by one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.