With only 22 days to go before the 2nd Africa Youth Games (AYG) kicks off, the Botswana Africa Youth Games Organising Committee (BAYGOC) received a shot in the arm as the Botswana Building Society (BBS) came on board as a new sponsor.
The Company has sponsored the committee to the tune of P225 000 towards organizing the games.
Speaking during the sponsorship launch, BBS Managing Director (MD), Pius Molefe said as BBS, they are aware of the hard work that is going on behind the scenes to ensure that the games are a success hence his company’s decision to come on board to help BAYGOC and Botswana deliver successful games.
He said the games of big magnitude like the Africa Youth Games (AYG) needs support both financially and with human resources, hence the BBS decision to come on board. “These games are probably the biggest sporting event to be hosted by Botswana and present an opportunity for us to show Africa and the World the strides we have made in developing our sport over the years,” Molefe explained.
With Botswana having shown real progress in sports in recent years, Molefe said the games will give Botswana’s young athletes an opportunity to gauge themselves against the very best on the continent.
“This will help them to improve on their way to becoming world class athletes in the process and bringing pride, recognition and joy to our country,” the BBS MD said.
He said through the performances of its past stars like Glody Dube and current stars in the likes of Amantle Montsho, Nijel Amos, Joel Mogorosi, Mogakolodi Ngele, Moses Jones as well as upcoming young athletes like Galefele Moroko and many others, Botswana had experienced the positive impact of sport on a country.
“Their performances have had a positive effect on the collective spirit of our nation because they always bring us together, whether they do well or not,” Molefe explained. Accepting the BBS sponsorship, BAYGOC Chairperson, Reginah Sikalesele-Vaka assured BBS, other sponsors and the country as a whole that the games organizing committee will deliver successful games on behalf of the country.
The BAYGOC Chairperson said she has all the confidence in the games organizing committee, adding that substantial progress has been made towards hosting the games.
As the leader of BAYGOC, Sikalesele-Vaka said BAYGOC had a meeting with the committee this past weekend and she was impressed by the team’s level of preparedness to host.
The BAYGOC Chairperson expressed gratitude at BBS for coming on board, saying the success of the games will depend on ‘a combined effort from the BAYGOC, corporate/businesses and Batswana in general.’
“This is money that will go into the various aspects of delivering seamless youth games. This sponsorship shows BBS’s commitment to Botswana and Batswana through their generosity,” Sikalesele-Vaka said. With at least 54 countries expected to compete in the 2nd Africa Youth Games, the BAYGOC Chairperson said the games will not only help display Botswana’s talent but will also give African countries and the world a taste of Botswana. The 2nd Africa Youth Games will be hosted in Botswana from the 22nd to the 31st of May.
