The Botswana National Sports Council (BNSC) Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Percy Raditladi, says a major percentage of their annual grant for this year has gone towards their affiliates.
In accordance with their new policy of ensuring that sport benefits more from the government’s annual grant to the sports council, the BNSC CEO said 70 percent of this year’s grant has gone to sporting codes.
Raditladi said the increase in funding to affiliates is a direct result of cutting administrative expenses at the BNSC, something which is part of the ongoing restructuring process at the local sports mother body.
Speaking in an interview, the BNSC CEO said as such, only 30 percent of this year’s grant will go towards the council’s daily administrative duties.
“Our mandate as the BNSC is to administer sport in the country. We have to see the development of sport and increasing the grants to affiliates will help them to do exactly that,” the BNSC CEO said.
He added that the increase in funding of affiliates was done despite what he termed a ‘very challenging budget at the BNSC.’
“One of the biggest problems affecting our affiliates is lack or shortage of finances. This increase in financing will empower them to carry their mandate,” Raditladi explained. While the initial grant for the BNSC from the government was set at P71,5 million, the amount that finally made its way into the BNSC coffers is estimated at P52 million. This follows the deduction of P13 million from the grant to go towards the hosting of next year’s 2nd Edition of the Africa Youth Games and a further P6, 2 million to the Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC).
According to Raditladi, the increase in funding will allow for sporting codes to channel more money towards sport development.
“The grants we offer to the codes are not for elite sports but rather for sports development. We thus expect that this should reflect on the way each sporting code spends this money. We expect that 40 percent of the grants given to affiliates will go towards sport development while the remaining 60 percent will be evenly split between hosting events and administration,” Raditladi said.
He added that for codes that will be hosting international events, funding has also been further increased to help them successfully host them.
“This is in line with our vision, which stipulates that by 2028, Botswana should be hosting successful international events as well as seeing an increase in medals from international events. This can only be achieved if we channel money towards sports development and hosting events,” the BNSC CEO explained.
With the BNSC funding now excluding senior national teams, Raditladi said negotiations are ongoing with the government for them (government) to directly take over the funding of national teams. He said with the government having already helped in funding national teams like the Zebras last year and just recently the Young Zebras, this looks the best alternative, more so as ‘they are national teams.’
Meanwhile, Raditladi said the BNSC affiliates are going to benefit more as the restructuring at the council continues. He said in its endeavors of improving delivery to affiliates, the BNSC’s restructuring process will see the council recruiting more Development Officers to work with affiliates.
