Botswana sent a team of men and women to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games which were held from 23rd July to 8th August 2021. Amongst the team was the men’s 4x400m Relay Team who made the country most proud by scooping a Bronze Medal at the Olympics. The six (6) men team was made up of Isaac Makwala, Bayapo Ndori, Zibane Ngozi, Baboloki Thebe, Leungo Scotch and Anthony Pesela.
The Government of Botswana, through the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development (MYSC) made a commitment to reward the Men’s 4 x 400m relay team with two (2) bedroomed houses after making the Nation proud at the Olympic Games, and on the 22nd November 2021, Hon. Tumiso Rakgare of MYSC delivered on that promise on behalf of the Government of Botswana and all Batswana.
Minister Rakgare quoted Nelson Mandela when he said, “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire, it has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope, where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than governments in breaking down racial barriers. It laughs in the face of all types of discrimination,” to harness the importance of sport in all our lives having seen how united Batswana were during the games in July and August this year.
Hon. Rakgare remarked that, considering that the journey to Tokyo was the most challenging as a result of the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic which hit our shores in early 2020, Team Botswana’s performance was beyond expectation. The bronze medal and the African record achieved by the 4x400m Relay team will go down in the history books as some of the greatest achievements by any of our athletes.
He went on to say that in Botswana’s previous ten (10) appearances, we had had only mustered one (1) medal; a silver courtesy of Nijel Amos at the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games; a feat that convinced us, if we were ever in doubt, that we have what it takes and if we put our minds and resources to it, we can hold our own against the best in the world. While the bronze has not outstripped the silver, the conditions under which it was attained no doubt call for a big celebration. Therefore, to the Men’s 4 x 400m Relay Team and indeed the rest of the team to the Tokyo Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, thank you so much for making us proud.
A huge thank you to the following companies for having found it worthwhile to come on board and offer more incentives to accompany the houses. Each of these companies have contributed to transforming the houses that were handed over to the Athletes to become homes that are fit for champions.
- Botswana Housing Corporation (BHC) for supplying the houses at a discounted rate and furnishing them to make them more homely
- Nashua for internet installation and 24 months subscription
- G4S Security for providing each house with an alarm and monitoring for 12 months
- Multichoice Botswana for installing decoders in all houses and providing free 12 months Compact+ subscription
- Bokomo Botswana for giving all the athletes P500 Bokomo hamper for 12 months.
- Furnmart for giving BHC 15% discount on the furniture and supplying four (4) fridges.
Dear Sponsors, we thank you most profoundly for this, and wish to express our hope that you and others will join us on the journey to Tokyo 2024, said Hon. Rakgare.
Zibane Ngozi, one of the recipients, did not know how to express his happiness. He said he was overwhelmed with joy and thanked God for his talent. He also thanked the Government of Botswana for rewarding them with a basic need of shelter. He said he never imagined himself, a Moroka boy, owning a house in Gaborone and for that he vows to remain grateful. He assured Batswana that he will continue to do his best to make them proud and urged other athletes to continue striving and to never give up on their talent.