Tsoseletso Magang, Lobito Ncube, Matlho Kgosi, Goabaone Taylor, Tebo Segaise, Theresa Hirschfeld, Boineelo Hardy, Wedu Motswetla, Malebo Raditladi- Nkgakile, Tebogo Lebotse- Sebego and the list goes on and on.
These are just some of the many women administrators who have dedicated their lives to Botswana sports.
Like many female sports leaders who have come before them and many more to follow, they have faced countless reasons to throw in the towel and focus on something else.
Yet, they have made conscious decisions to keep going even when circumstances are not in their favour. For all the challenges they have faced, they stood the test of time and made their names one of Botswana’s best administrators to reckon with. They have risen to excellence; driven by passion and love, eating living and breathing sport.
As one of the biggest roles of being women is being a mother and for these ladies, their administration role was occupied by motherhood.
This motherhood instinct has fuelled them to excellence in administration as they are now not only mothers to the children they birthed, but also to countless others they are leading.
According to Tsela Riders cyclists and committee member Game Mompe, her biggest role of being a mother to athletes, is to help grow their passion in sport.
Mompe carries the spirit of abundance due to the hurdles she has faced through the lives of athletes she has interacted with in her line of duty in sport.
For her, cycling just started as leisure which later blossomed into a passion. She has since served in many positions of leadership at both club and national level.
As a mother to an avid and excelling cyclist, Mompe’s motherhood instinct has made certain to carrying motherhood roles to the cycling track came so natural to her and brings her joy.
“Being a mother in sport is the same as being a mother at home, but here, there is a kind of a twist.”
“As a mother to athletes, you have to give them full support being physically, emotionally and financially,” Mompe explains.
“An athlete goes through a lot of stumbling blocks which at times may make him/her lose interest or even quit sport and that’s when I have to play my role twice,” she says.
Mompe says athletes like students at school, are from different backgrounds and are faced with different challenges and obstacles.
For her and all other female administrators, this is where the motherhood instinct kicks in to make these athletes feel the part so as to realise their potential.
Whereas the male administrators concentrate mostly on their sport mandate, for female administrators, motherhood instincts naturally take over when dealing with athletes.
According to Mompe, the journey of being a mother to all has been interesting and has had its own ups and downs.
She however says the challenges she faced with athletes and the ones she saw athletes face has moulded her to be a better person.
“As a mother to a son, I have seen how it is a struggle to secure a sponsorship for him which will be on place to support his dream,” she says.
“This has driven me to show some support to all athletes where I can because I have seen the struggle my son has faced just to buy and upgrade his equipment,” she explains.
“Sport needs women in board rooms because they are driven by love and passion not money and power. They are gate ways for the ones who cannot speak for themselves,” she says.
