The Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC)’s Communication and Marketing Manager, Boniface Mabeo, says the committee’s new website is expected to improve communication between the BNOC, its affiliates and the nation.
The new website, which was launched to affiliates during the BNOC’s Ordinary General Meeting (OGM) on Thursday night, is now in operation. Speaking in an interview a day after the launch, the BNOC Communications and Marketing Manager said the website is expected to give Batswana timely information on sporting activities involving local athletes and national teams. “This website was created out of necessity to provide Batswana with much needed sports news. Batswana love sport but, unfortunately, they do not have much information to go with more, especially when it comes to marginalized sport. This website will be expected to bridge this gap,” Mabeo said.
The BNOC Marketing Manager says while they appreciate the part played by local media in promoting sport, not much is said about marginalized sporting codes, something which further necessitated the creation of the BNOC website.
According to Mabeo, the website will also give Batswana information on their sporting heroes, giving them timetables on where and when they are competing as well as the times. He says with many local athletes competing in different local and international competitions at different times, the website will give Batswana an opportunity to know in advance where they will compete.
On how much time and money was spent on creating the website, Mabeo said the website was created voluntarily for the BNOC by IT consultant, Lukonde Mfula.
“We would like to express gratitude to Mfula for creating this site as well as to extend the same gratitude to Mr Ashford Mmamelodi who organised for Mfula to make us this website,” Mabeo concluded.
Despite having been created in a space of one month only, the BNOC website is elegantly created and is easily accessible. Containing flash photography and with easy to access tab menus, the website offers visitors all the information they need about the BNOC. The website also has links to international sporting organizations’ websites, which will allow visitors access to international news.
One of the links that is likely to come handy for Batswana is the link to the London 2012 Olympics. With local sports followers keen to follow the fortunes of local athletes during the London Summer Olympics, the website is expected to give them timetables on when the local stars will compete.
Commenting during the launch of the website, the site’s creator, Mfula, lamented lack of sites for local sporting codes, saying they would have taken advantage of the BNOC website by linking their websites to it for easier access by Batswana. He encouraged sporting codes to get in contact with the BNOC to find ways to create websites. The new website can be accessed at www.bnoc.org.bw.
