The annual Botswana National Sports Council awards ceremony will be held at the Gaborone International Conference Centre on March 24, 2007.
Addressing the media fraternity at a press briefing held at Barloworld House, the Managing Director of Barloworld Botswana, Peter Stevenson, stated that this would be the last year that Barloworld would be sponsoring the event.
This year?s sponsorship, however, will be to the amount of P250 000.
?This sponsorship is a substantial increase from the initial sponsorship of P30 000 and a 25 percent increase from last year?s sponsorship,? he said.
Stevenson said it is his strong belief that this annual sports awards ceremony has had an effect on the athletes and will continue to inspire even those in the junior ranks.
He said at Barloworld, they adopted sports development as an integral part of their Corporate Social Investment strategy almost a decade ago.
?This has seen Barloworld Botswana forging partnerships with the Botswana Sports Council (BNSC) and one of their affiliates, the Botswana Volleyball Federation (BVF),? Stevenson said. ?The partnerships were conceived as a result of a common desire to accelerate sport development in Botswana.?
According to Stevenson, the relationship with the BNSC had been a fulfilling and mutually beneficial one. He said they are very pleased to have been associated, in some way or another, with the change in sporting fortunes in Botswana. It is their belief that with BNSC, the awards had grown bigger and, in the process, demonstrated Barloworld?s commitment to sport development.
?Barloworld has decided to focus on other initiatives. We take pride that we can hand over this product of repute to other corporate citizens,? he stated.
Accepting the cheque, the Chief Executive Officer of the BNSC, Kitso Kemoeng, said although the marriage had come to an end, they would continue to be Barloworld?s friend in other avenues. He said the amount of time that Barloworld invested in the BNSC will not go unnoticed as this is a visible contribution which has helped a lot in developing sports in Botswana.
?They have helped us improve our sports performance, and contributed to the motivation of individuals,? added Kemoeng. ?Barloworld will always be a national hero because they have helped in building this nation.?
