First Capital Bank through its product, the Lefika Savings Account, has won the naming rights for two tournaments worth P25,000 each. The first of the two, the ‘Lefika Table Tennis Tournament’ will be played on Saturday at Livingstone Kolobeng College. Speaking at the sponsorship launch held in Gaborone on Friday, First Capital Bank chief executive officer, Reinette van der Merwe said the bank has chosen a befitting partner in BTTA. She said Table Tennis in Botswana has proven to be a fast growing sport with a potential to be an elite sport locally. “From our perspective, table tennis is a very dynamic sport and we are delighted to be involved as the main sponsor for two national tournaments that has the potential to revolutionalise the sport in Botswana. We at First Capital Bank believe that the crop of young players we have got at the moment have what it takes to make success stories. I am also sure that with the right kind of backing and exposure that BTTA provides, the performance in major games will be impacted positively,” van der Merwe said. BTTA president, Kudzanani Motswagole appreciated the support from First Capital Bank.
He said the partnership prepares players for ‘life after sport’. The players will only take home 50% of the prize money won from the Lefika Table Tennis Tournament while the other half will go to a Lefika Savings Account. Motswagole said they strive for player orientated partnerships as BTTA strives for commercialised sport and fruitful partnerships. “One thing we will guard against is to misuse the funds. We have an athlete-centred approach at BTTA, which means whatever sponsorship we get the players get more money than the administrative arm. The athletes are going to get P15,000 of the P25,000 (per tournament) while the admin will get P10,000, Motswagole said.
The Lefika Table Tennis Tournament is the 2023 BTTA season opener. First Capital Bank joins amongst others, Phoenix Assurance, KPMG Diamond Company and the India High Commission as the BTTA continues to attract lucrative deals. First Capital Bank operates in five countries in Africa and has five branches in Botswana.
