The Botswana National Sports Commission (BNSC) CEO, Tuelo Serufho congratulated the team for a job well done when he welcomed the athletes back home this week.
“Welcome back and congratulations to the team for bringing medals home. You have made the country proud. I have been informed that in the last games held in 2019 in Abu Dhabi, the team also brought home medals,” Serufho said.
Serufho pointed out that when disability is talked about, the focus is on physical disability without paying attention to intellectual disability. The government, through the Ministry of Education and Skills Development, has Special Education Programme in some schools to cater for children with intellectual disability. “This programme ensures that the children are given lifelong learning opportunities at the primary level.
However, more must be done to ensure progression into secondary schools to align with Goal 4 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) that calls for inclusive and equitable quality education,” Serufho said. Serufho said there is a need for collaboration among the Ministry of Youth, Gender, Sports and Culture, the Ministry of Education and Skills Development, and Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development in designing programmes for children and young people who are hard to reach after their primary education as there are no support structures.
The SOB director, Ross Tebele commended the team that left for Germany, as they did very well and stepped up to their responsibilities. He also said the athletes will get a psychologist who will be part of the team to give support. Tebele also explained the presence of the director of Crime Intelligence, Nunu Lesetedi at the welcome ceremony. Lesetedi is part of the SOB and Tebele pointed out that he was included in the law enforcement torch run and was recruited to attend the meetings. Serufho admitted that the grant extended to the SOB is not enough.
“I am alive to the fact that the grant towards the Special Olympics Botswana is not adequate to fully run these programmes. Collaborations with the Ministry of Health will be explored to ensure that as many of the children have access to healthcare that is unique to their needs,” he said. Serufho said the commission will work together with the SOB to source private-sector support.
The Special Olympics Games promote equality by teams for both men and women for gender balance and there are no age restrictions, and it is in line with SDG 5, which seeks to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. Serufho said he is delighted to see that the Special Olympics programmes are linked and contribute to no less than three SDGs. With the commitment of the government to bid for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations finals and new facilities being built, they should cater for people with special disabilities, the BNSC chief noted.
“The government of Botswana is committed to supporting the athletes. As we bid for AFCON, we will ensure that we build stadiums that will cater for children with special needs as a legacy project,” Serufho said.
The medalist:
Gold
Thuso Malasa 200m Onalethata Onneng Bocce
Silver
Katso Molefe Bocce Anitah Nthwesane long jump
Mixed volleyball team
Lefika Ntebo 400m
Bronze
Katso and Onalethata Mixed bocce team
