BCF, Debswana strong ties continue
Calistus Kolantsho | Wednesday September 28, 2016 15:37
The event is scheduled to take place over the Independence holidays, from September 29 to October 2 at Botho University. International Master Chitumbo Mwali of Zambia is the men’s Open defending champion while Woman International Master, Boikhutso Mudongo triumphed in the women’s section.
Speaking at the sponsorship hand over, Debswana head of corporate affairs, Esther Kanaimba-Senai said over the past five years, they have supported the event to the tune of nearly P500,000. “This championship is one of the activities that we continue to support, not least because our chess players generally perform well. We have seen an increased interest from neighbouring countries in participating in the event,” she said.
Kanaimba-Senai said as such, that has gone a long way in helping local players gauge their play against the best in Africa. She said there has been an increase in the number of titles and ratings coming from the championship over the years.
She urged local players to put up a strong fight as the country celebrates 50 years of independence.
She said invited players from other countries have always dominated the championship. Meanwhile, Kanaimba-Senai said the nation should introspect and plan beyond the golden jubilee. “We are always so close yet so far because we have failed to reach the top three spots in most of the international competitions, especially the crowd puller ones. What do we need to do to bring those medals home?” she quizzed.
BCF president, Tshenolo Maruatona said while on paper, Debswana has been sponsoring chess for five years, in reality the company has been part of the game for many years.
“I vividly remember that the first sponsorship from Debswana was P40,000 in the 90s. The sponsorship has grown over the years and many players have benefited from,” he said.
Maruatona said they have held discussions with international chess officials at the just ended Olympiad that was held in Baku, Azerbaijan to have the championship as a FIDE rated event.