The sponsorship launch was held on Friday at the Indian High Commission. The Indian High Commissioner to Botswana, Dr Rajesh Ranjan pledged five scholarships for the best players of the tournament to study in India.
Archein hardware managing director, Nikunj Mehta said the P150,000 is for cash prize and P100,000 is for medals and other logistics. Mehta said softball used to be one of the best sporting codes in the country and brought medals from international games. “The intention of this tournament is to restore softball to its glory days.
The challenge is funding because it is played by many people. Softball was a popular sport and used to be played in almost all junior and senior secondary schools across the country,” he said.
Mehta also said as a private company, they decided to come on board and assist softball and at the same time use the platform to give his business mileage. He said just like any business, they also need audience.
BSA president, Katlholo Mosimanegape said the sponsorship negotiations started in 2019. He said they even extended negotiations to other companies. Mosimanegape said the tournament is scheduled for September 30 until October 2.
The tournament will feature 16 teams both men and women. The eliminations are set for August 20 (men) in Gaborone and August 27 (women) in Gaborone. Action for both men and women in the Northern Zone is set for August 27 in Orapa.
