Volume 50 Issue 7 - July 2012 : Sports

  

The games take place between July 27 and August 12 and Amantle Montsho’s explosive form internationally could not have come at the right time. Against this background, the Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC) has set two as the minimum target of medals from the Games. Two may sound too small but after years of trying without success, it is more than realistic to start small and grow big. But imagine the ensuing euphoria should the country appear in the medals table. This time around Batswana are more than convinced that come what may, they will be celebrating at least one gold medal, as Montsho looks set to make history.

It will be Botswana’s greatest sporting achievement ever since the country’s first appearance in Moscow, Russia in 1980 and a moment to savour after 46 years of self-rule from Britain. Since 1980 Botswana has competed in eight Summer Games without any success. Not only does this motivate the argument that two is small yet a special number but also comes against the backdrop of a country on the verge of realising its vision ideals of “a united and proud nation”. Should the dream to win a first Olympic medal come to pass, the Botswana National Sports Council (BNSC) would have also fulfilled its dream of leading “Botswana towards sporting excellence and contribut[ing] to national development, unity and pride”.

Meanwhile, initially the BNOC had set a target of 20 athletes to the Games. Thus, the national Olympic body was banking on the fact that currently there are more athletes on scholarships and preparation for the games have been more intense than previously while the use of sport science and sport medicine intensified. However, even with such motivating factors it has proved to be an uphill struggle to reach the target of 20 in that only five had qualified by June. Faced with such a grim situation, the target was then revised to 12 with the hope that by the time the games start at least that number would have qualified. This is the same number that went to the Beijing, China Games four years ago but returned empty handed. Fast forward to 2012 and Batswana have never been more hopeful of collecting at least one medal courtesy of Montsho who beat the best to become the world’s reigning 400m champion. The BNOC is giving its all to make sure Montsho succeeds.  She is the world’s favourite to win gold or should we say a medal in London. Since the New Delhi Commonwealth Games, Montsho has proved that she can win yet another medal for Botswana. Currently, she is top in the Diamond League table with four points after winning the 400m race in Oslo, Norway recently, clocking 49.68 seconds.

Then there is another hopeful, the young and upcoming Oteng Oteng, who also looks set to making history as the first boxer to bring an Olympic medal, thus bringing to two the medals that Botswana hopes to haul from the London 2012 Games. Oteng is certainly no average boxer – a Commonwealth silver medalist and African champion. “We of course do have faith in others,” says BNOC chief executive officer, Tuelo Serufho referring to the likes of Nigel Amos, Pako Seribe and Isaac Makwala who on their day could also rise to the occasion to add to Botswana’s medal haul. That is because Amos has improved his time from B to A standard. He is currently the world’s second fastest 800m runner after David Rudisha of Kenya.

Amos clocked 1:43:11 to beat the A standard mark of 1:45:60 set for qualifying for the 2012 London Olympics and breaking the national record of 1:44:47 set by Otukile Lekote in Montreal, Canada in 2001. As for Seribe and Makwala (athletics) they both qualified under the B standard but it is likely that one of them will drop out should he fail to upgrade his qualifying time to A standard. TIME IS NOW TEAM BOTSWANA, MAKE US PROUD!

 BOTSWANA AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES - THE STATS & FACTS

 1980:   The year Botswana made her maiden appearance at the Summer Olympic Games.

20: The estimated team size the BNOC hopes to send to the London 2012 Olympic Games. Has since been scaled down to 12.

0: The total number of medals Botswana has won at previous Summer Olympic Games.

2: The BNOC medal target at the London 2012 Olympic Games

7:   The number of athletes that represented Botswana at the Moscow Olympic Games in 1980.

2004:   The year Botswana had her first female representative at the Olympic Games (Athens: Amantle Montsho).

2: The number of women who have so far represented Botswana at the Olympic Games (Montsho & Samantha Paxinos)

12: The largest number of athletes to have represented Botswana at a Games of the Olympiad (Beijing 2008)

5: Number of athletes who have already qualified for the London 2012 Olympic Games (Montsho, Isaac Makwala, Pako Seribe and Nigel Amos) - All of them are 400m runners except Amos (800m) as well as Oteng Oteng of boxing.

8: Appearances Botswana has already made at the Summer Olympic Games.

10 May: The cut-off date the BNOC had set for athletes to have qualified for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Athletics: The only sport that has been represented at each edition of the Summer Olympic Games since Botswana started competing in 1980.

Amantle Montsho: Botswana’s first female finalist at the Olympic Games (Beijing 2008)

Glody Dube: Botswana’s first finalist at the Olympic Games (800m at Sidney 2000)

Nigel Amos: The youngest of the Botswana athletes who have to date qualified for the London 2012 Olympic Games

Robert Chideka: One of the first seven representatives of Botswana at the Olympic Games and current BNOC board member.

Athletics, Boxing, Swimming: The only three sport codes to represent Botswana at the Olympic Games

Major Botsang Tshenyego: Botswana’s Chef de Mission for the London 2012 Games.

Cardiff: Botswana’s Pre-Games Training Camp venue. ENDS

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