Minister of Youth, Sports, Gender, and Culture, Tumiso Rakgare, has assured team Botswana that houses will be waiting for any athlete who brings home a medal from the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, which runs from July 26th to August 11th.
“Whatever happens from the 26th of July, we would like you to know that you have the full support of the nation, which is rallying behind you. Stand firm in knowledge that every time that you set foot on that track, or in that pool we are all rooting for you. We are honored to have you all representing Botswana. Go out there, do your thing. I hope you haven’t forgotten our deal. The houses are ready for you to bring those medals home,” said the minister during the send-off dinner for the 12 athletes from Botswana Swimming Sport Association and Athletics Association who will represent the country at the Olympics in France.
Rakgare further said that as part of their commitment to supporting Team Botswana, it is government’s responsibility to ensure that the elite athletes can compete on the same level as their counterparts from all over the world, hence they have increased the monetary incentives they give to the athletes.
“Our athletes will be getting P 30 000,00 as they travel to France for the pre-Olympic training sessions and to acclimatize themselves with the Europe weather. We have also increased their daily allowance from 30USD TO 60USD per day for international camps. The appearance fee has also moved up. Lastly the 12 athletes who have qualified have been receiving an up-keep allowance of P 8 000,00 per month since the day of their qualifications,” he said, further noting that increasing the financial resources will assist in increasing mass participation and improve performances.
Team Botswana departed for Europe on July 11th for pre-Olympic training and weather acclimatization.
The team comprises ten competitors from the Botswana Athletics Association and two from the Swimming Sport Association.
Colonel Botsang Tshenyego, President of the Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC), pleaded with Batswana to be mindful of how they utilise the Olympic logo while posting on social media, to avoid hefty fines for the local Olympics committee.
