The Botswana Cycling Association (BCA) intends to embark on a plan to empower local coaches and officials to improve the standards of cycling in the country. This comes as the association is worried about lack of quality amongst local riders. To this effect, the BCA is planning to rope in experts to conduct coaching and training courses to boost the knowledge of local coaches.
Currently Botswana has only 5 certified coaches accredited with Union Cyclist International (UCI) Level 1 Coaching Certificate and only 2 that have a UCI Level 2 Coaching Certificate which BCA deem a miniature number which cannot assist in development of the sport in the country.
As such, the Association is now in talks with Botswana National Olympics Committee (BNOC) to bring in a Union Cyclist International (UCI) instructor for Orientation and a Coaching Clinic in order to equip local administrators with necessary skills that will up the association standards and competitiveness level amongst athletes.
Botswana Cycling Association (BCA) Secretary General Tlamelo Dube said the empowerment of local coaches will contribute in the investment of athletes’ development that can compete at official international events.
“Here in Botswana we rely on fun and charity races that are not even competitive and we are looking at national development. It is high time we migrate to more competitive structures in order for us to grow and all we need is quality. For us to do that there has to be coaches and officials development. We have potentially gifted coaches in the country whose athletes always in podium finish, which is a true reflection of the potential we have at our disposal,” he said.
He added that they have communicated with local clubs to submit names of individuals who they want to enroll in the coaching course especially the level where they will be taught from grassroots and they are happy with the response thus far.
“We are hoping that in the last quota of 2016 the training will be conducted, followed by officials training since we want balance in all aspect in our quest to develop the association because we are still in talks with the BNOC to finalize our plans”
Dube further stated that once it’s all set at administration and technical level, licensing of players and sanctioning of races will be on top of their priority list since it’s important to turn athletes into professional riders as soon as they are familiar with the sport dynamics.
“Once we have a number of qualified UCI coaches and instructors we will be in a good position to host UCI accredited races hence bring quality from outside and we want Cycling to be a sport that people can relate to in terms of competition not only to have fun” he stressed.
Meanwhile Botswana Cycling Association (BCA) is readying for the National championships and National MTB Champions billed for Gaborone in August followed by the Annual General Meeting that was postponed from last month.
