New BAA committee to address Sibanda track disappearance

  • Athlete has been inactive for more than two years
  • Relay teams to be sent to Cameroon and Bahamas

TLOTLO KEBINAKGABO

The new Botswana Athletics Association (BAA) committee intends to address issues that are clouding the association’s image which amongst others includes Karabo Sibanda’s disappearance from the track, Gazette Sport has established.

Sibanda has been inactive for more than two years and he was last seen limping out of the track with what seemed to be a hamstring injury during the Eugene IAAF Diamond League meet held in May 2017. Since then the athlete has been reported to be travelling around Europe seeking medical attention with the help of his manager after reports suggested that the previous BAA committee was neglecting him.

However news reaching this publication is that the new BAA aims to put this issue to bed with the 2014 Beijing Youth Olympics silver medalist and several other issues affecting the association’s image, something that has since been confirmed by the new BAA president, Phapane Botlhale .

“We are still following the issue and we currently do not have full details on his whereabouts. We are still waiting for the previous committee’s detailed report that will inform us about the association at large and all information regarding our athletes outside the country,” Botlhale said. “And that is when we can start commenting further about anything regarding the association; but obviously with Sibanda we are a bit concerned as we have not seen him on the track for a while.”

Meanwhile, the new BAA president told the publication that they will send the men’s 4x100m team to a competition in Cameroon today (Wednesday) in their bid to have them qualify for the African Games and 2019 IAAF World Championships. “We are also sending the ladies and men’s 4x400m to Bahamas on the 23rd of this month, we really want the teams to qualify,”he said. “All the trips are made possible by the Ministry responsible for sports through Botswana National Sport Commission; our mandate as BAA is just to make sure that athletes participate in all competitions.”