LOCAL PUGILISTS GET TRAINING SCHOLARSHIPS
Four local boxers: Rajab Mahommed, Lethabo Modukanele, Aratwa Kasemang and Keamogetse Kenosi are the beneficiaries of the 2020/21 Botswana National Sports Commission (BNSC) Zebra Athlete’ Fund
This was revealed by Botswana Boxing Association (BoBA) President Thato Patlakwe at last weekend’s BoBA Annual General Meeting (AGM).
In his remarks, Patlakwe announced each boxer will get P75, 000 and they will be taken to a professional centre where they’ll better their skills.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank BNSC for giving our boxers this opportunity, it will definitely help in terms of the growth of the sport in general. In addition to this sponsorship, there is another boxer Brian Galelemogwe who has been awarded the Elite BNSC sponsorship and we are grateful for that as well,” said Patlakwe.
In an interview with Voice Sport this week, BoBA Publicity Secretary Taolo Tlouetsile said the AGM went well even though it was a difficult year for the sporting world due to Covid-19.
“I think the AGM went according to plan, it was initially scheduled to take place in June but was postponed due to lockdown,” he said.
“The most important issue that was highlighted was how we are going to return to the ring, and affiliates have been given two weeks to map a way forward, and we are banking on that so that our beloved sport can return,” Tlouetsile.
“In addition, a national team camp might be the start of everything as we plan a gradual return to action. Our plan is that we want experienced boxers to return first and the young inexperienced boxers will come at a later stage to ensure we adhere to Covid-19 regulations,” Tlouetsile reiterates.
Kenosi who’s the first local female boxer to qualify for the Olympics however could not be drawn into discussing the scholarship, saying she was yet to learn what exactly it entailed.
“I’m very proud to be the first woman to qualify for the Olympics, and I hope to inspire upcoming young girls who want to be boxers to believe in themselves. It is now clear that boxing is no longer a men’s sport. I’m looking forward to raise the nation’s flag even higher,” Kenosi said.