Botswana out
The failure of Botswana’s boxers to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics is just the latest in a series of disappointments for the Botswana Boxing Association (BoBA). The association has identified the lack of participation in other major competitions, such as the recent African Championships in Yaounde, as a key factor in the lack of success. Without the opportunity to compete at a high level, it is difficult for the country’s boxers to improve and develop. Only two Botswana boxers have competed at the Olympics since 2012, with female boxer, Keamogetse Kenosi being the most recent in 2020. Oteng Oteng was the country’s only representative at the 2012 Olympics, and BoBA’s financial struggles have been cited as a key reason for the lack of success in qualifying for major events. The association’s limited resources have made it difficult to provide the necessary support and development opportunities for its athletes.
The Botswana Boxing Association (BoBA) had sent a team of five boxers to the African qualifier for the Paris 2024 Olympics, held in Senegal. The team consisted of male boxers Rajab Mahomed, George Molwantwa, and Kabo Seitshiro, as well as female boxers Aratwa Kasemang and Keamogetse Kenosi. They were accompanied by coach Thebe Setlalekgosi and team manager Boitumelo Taolo.
In order to qualify for the Olympics, boxers from Africa needed to win gold or silver medals at the African qualifier. However, only 18 slots were available, which made the competition extremely tough. While all of Botswana’s boxers except Keamogetse Kenosi were knocked out of the competition early, she continued to fight for a chance to qualify.According to BoBA Secretary General, Taolo Tlouetsile, the team’s performance could be attributed to a number of factors, including a lack of adequate preparation. The last major competition the team had attended was the Men and Women’s World Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and New Delhi, India. He noted that this lack of recent competitive experience may have contributed to the team’s poor showing.
“Our boxers missed out on the AFBC Men and Women Championships in Yaounde last month, and the short training camp in Lusaka was not enough to prepare them for the level of competition they faced. The top African boxers often train outside of Africa in preparation for these tournaments, and our local boxers were not given the same opportunity.
This put them at a disadvantage,” he said. According to Tlouetsile, the decision to send the team to the qualifiers was based on the belief that they had the ability to succeed. However, the main obstacle to future preparations and tournaments is the lack of funding. He emphasized that it was too soon to make concrete plans, and that the situation would depend heavily on the availability of funds.“We’re of course disappointed with the outcome, but I can’t say that our team isn’t competitive. They gave it their all, but ultimately the other teams were stronger. Despite our best efforts, we fell short of our goal,” Tlouetsile stated.