Wrestling decries lack of support

The Botswana Wrestling Federation (BWF) President, Dr Moagi Sharp has come out to criticise both the Botswana National Sports Commission (BNSC) and the Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC) for inadequate support to his organisation. “The problem in Botswana is that we do not have support from organisations like the BNOC and the BNSC, even though we have affiliated to them. The two organisations are currently providing us with support but it is not enough,” said Sharp, who is currently attending the U23 World Championship and UWW Congress in Belgrade, Serbia. Sharp carried on, “we have affiliated to the BNSC in 2011 and the BNOC in 2013 but we continue to have challenges when it comes to training equipment like wrestling mats.”

According to Sharp, the BWF, which includes both amateur and professional wrestling, received P250 000 last year in BNSC grants saw their budget being drastically reduced to only P50 000 in 2020. Furthermore, Sharp said he was in Belgrade to observe and learn what happens at international wrestling events like the U23 World Championships. Even though Botswana is not competing at the world championships, Sharp said they are likely to compete at next year’s event held at the same European city from the 10th until 18th, September 2022.

He further explained that the world championships coincided with the United World Wrestling elective Congress that has seen Nenad Lalovic, a resident of Serbia being elected to the presidency and Foud Meskout UWW (Africa) being elected to the Bureau of UWW. Meanwhile, Sharp said there is need to grow the sport in Botswana and adequate equipment is required for this. “As African states, we have been encouraged to unite and emulate our counterparts in both Europe and America. I have been in talks with the president of Cape Verde and discussed how we can be able to prepare for the world championships next year.”

Thus far, Sharp said they have been focusing on amateur wrestling as there is potential to qualify for the Olympic games. Nevertheless, we have set up a professional wrestling structure so that our wrestlers can be able to earn an income through the sport once they leave amateur ranks. According to Sharp, local professional wrestlers have already been trained and they are seeking partnerships to grow with local companies. The BWF has 10 affiliate clubs.