For many, when the event came to Botswana’s shores last year April, it was athletics’ crowning moment.
It was a first for Botswana as the country was one of only two African nations to get the honour to host a gold status athletics competition. But for those who have religiously followed the road that finally gave birth to Botswana hosting the Golden Grand Prix, it has been a difficult path to the top for one man. Glody Dube, the first man to reach the finals of an Olympic event back in 2000, is the brains behind an event which started from humble beginnings as the Sports View International Meet a decade ago. It grew into the Gaborone International Meet after attaining bronze status.
Last year, it was elevated straight to the gold status, becoming a premier event drawing the cream of international athletics. When it was known as the Gaborone International Meet, it did not have much pulling power and was not a favourite among those in the corridors of power at the Government Enclave. It was an event which could pass without anyone noticing. But as it grew in stature, so did the attention from those in office and elsewhere. When the World Athletics granted the event the gold status, it appears all hell broke loose.
Last week it emerged that Glody’s company, Golden Door Sports Agency, had been stripped off the rights to organise this year’s Golden Grand Prix. A nation responded with shock and anger. They felt one of their own had been betrayed by the government officials, in particular, the Botswana National Sport Commission chief executive officer, Tuelo Serufho, who was explicitly singled out by Glody in a letter to the sports ministry. Some sensed opportunistic behaviour only equated to that of scavenging hyenas where some officials were viewed as putting their snout in the feeding trough, disregarding their limited input. To others, Glody is not at all a saint in the saga and has to shoulder some blame in triggering the World Athletics’ actions to withdraw Golden Sport Agency’s hosting rights. But why should we whisper his success but broadcast his failures? The story will develop further in the coming weeks, with the government, through the BNSC, promising to ensure that Glody and his company are not relegated to spectators in the feeding frenzy.
Glody feels betrayed that when his ‘time to eat’ had arrived, he has been ruthlessly shoved off the dinner table. In his view, the hyenas now have their bibs firmly around their necks, with fork and knife in hand, ready for the feast. But wherever Glody erred, here is a man who deserves to be treated better. Here is man who saw an opportunity where some never thought existed, now close to assuming the role of a brides-man at his own wedding. But that cannot be an acceptable sequence and even if it means the highest office in the land intervening, let it be. Give the man support and not wait for his mistakes to wrestle away his 10-year-old toil and sweat.
