The Botswana team at the ongoing 19th Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India, started games on Monday with the Lawn Bowls and Squash taking to the field on the first day of the games.
The Botswana team is said to be injury free going into the games. Speaking to Telegraph Sport, the team’s Head of Mission, Tuelo Serufho, said the entire team has arrived for the games, adding that they have been well received at the games.
Serufho, who had left the country to check preparations in India ahead of the athletes’ arrival, says the situation is better as it stands at the moment.
“When I arrived here, preparations were still ongoing, but by the time the athletes arrived, things were far much better,” he informed Telegraph Sport.
Serufho says the team has never experienced any troubles since their arrival at the Delhi games. He says despite the furore that surrounded the games, the games seem to be on the right track as countries have sent big delegations to the games.
Serufho says the only problems they have encountered at the moment are related to team officials’ transport but said the athletes themselves do not have such a problem.
Botswana team’s head of delegation further added that the athletes have access to training facilities as well as to clinical services as offered by the host city.
Serufho says the athletes’ village has all the necessary gymnasiums, training fields as well as other training facilities as required by the various sporting codes.
He says where the fields are not enough, the game organisers have arranged for other facilities outside the athletes village where athletes can train. He, however, says codes have to book in advance to use the fields outside the athletes’ village so as to better arrange transport and security.
Concerning the issue of security at the games, Serufho informed Telegraph Sport that heavy security has been employed at the games. “As we speak, we are going to the squash games and have already cleared two security check points and will have to clear the last one before we enter the games’ venue,” he said in an interview.
Serufho says tight security has also been afforded to athletes, adding that heavy police and army presence is visible on the roads and areas surrounding the games village.
With the games having begun on Monday, Botswana will, however, be keen to watch how the local track athletes, among them Botswana’s hot favourite, Amantle Montsho, perform when they take to the field today in track heats.
