CHILLYBOY VS. CHOPPIES

The minister of sport, Tumiso Rakgare recently came under the spotlight, when he singled out Mascom Wireless among other corporate companies that have contributed towards preparations for the 2021Tokyo Olympics. Officiating at a sending off ceremony for Team Botswana last week, Rakgare said: “I wish to appreciate the efforts of Mascom Wireless and others who put money into preparations, and encourage other corporates that it is in that area that we need to invest in order to get results”.

The mere fact that the minister failed to mention by name other corporate companies that have contributed to the Olympic games preparations, threw off some sport industry observers. Potso kegore ke eng nne a sa ba bale hela bothe? Sports observers and journalists have since debated why the minister would hesitate to mention other companies in the same vein. Gatwe the elephant in the room was Choppies, who recently pledged a P1 million carrot for an athlete or team that brings home the elusive gold medal. According to Choppies, they would further provide P500 000 for silver medalists and P250 000 for bronze. Mme hela gatwe madi ao ke eng a sa ntshiwe go thusa in Olympic qualifications instead of making pledges. While there is no doubt gore Choppies e ka ntsha 1Meter, many have questioned why Choppies should dangle a huge carrot because acquiring an Olympic medal is rather farfetched and downright elusive given the level of competition at the Olympics. Ha re gane, reka tswa ka tswa ka sengwe mme ga go motlhofo. Many within sports circles have since accused Choppies

of pulling a well-orchestrated publicity stunt that will provide a lot of mileage even after the Olympics. In defense Choppies have highlighted the many areas of sports they contribute to in the country including football development and sponsoring 4x400m relay team star Baboloki Thebe. Ke raa gore Minister okabo a ba badile hela ba tla nna ba iteka. Mme hela

Nijel Amos ba mmone…o tla lala a phamotse

1Metre.