Botswana will be seeking to make her presence felt both in and outside the field of play when the African Women Netball championship qualifiers’ resume in Lusaka, Zambia later this month.
While all Batswana’s eyes will be on the country’s women senior netball national team, elsewhere, a trio of Batswana officials will also be seeking to impress.
The three local officials expected to play a part at the games are Abednico Chetelo, Boikhutso Tuelo and Thulaganyo Retshabile. Chetelo and Tuelo will be umpiring the games whilst Retshabile will be the overall technical organiser of the games.
Reached for comment Botswana Netball Association (BONA) Public Relations Officer (PRO) Theresa Hirschfeld said she is optimistic that they will represent the country well and make them proud.
“They are the best that we have here in our country, as such International Netball Federation (INF), selected them to represent Botswana nation, we have no doubt they will outdo their potential and perform well,” she said.
She further added that they will not just do well for the country but for themselves as well as it could be a stepping stone to opportunities.
Hirschfeld also said given the extensive experience that the trio has, their inclusion in the officials’ list is well deserved. “They are qualified umpires, therefore they deserve the opportunity they are given,” the BONA PRO said.
Moreover, Hirschfeld highlighted that the chosen trio have been marked and ranked throughout their games be it league, regional or international. “As umpires of games, each of them is marked and ranked, as for the trio it means that their standards go up or remain the same and do not go below set target,” she added.
The tournament, which is also the World Cup qualifier, will run from 14th-19th of August, 2018. Team Botswana will leave by road on the 10th, and will be playing the opening match against hosts Zambia.
Hirschfeld concluded that they are looking forward to a competitive and challenging tournament, noting that they are aware of what is at stake for the nation.
“We are aware of what we need to do, as well as the officials who know their job very well. We will bring back positive results,” she said.
