Makwala Blasts BNSC Over Illtreatment
National athlete, Isaac Makwala has expressed disappointment about the manner in which the Botswana National Sports Commission (BNSC) awards have been handled over the last couple of years.The sprinter said there has been a clear sign of sabotage on him when it comes to the annual awards administration
National athlete, Isaac Makwala has expressed disappointment about the manner in which the Botswana National Sports Commission (BNSC) awards have been handled over the last couple of years.
The sprinter said there has been a clear sign of sabotage on him when it comes to the annual awards administration. Makwala said over the years he has done well for the country and outclassed almost everyone only for the organisers of the awards to deny him his shine by awarding undeserving athletes and officials over him.
“Sometimes when I think about such things, I feel a lot of pain, especially when I represent my country outside. I do not know what I have done to these people (BNSC) to deserve such kind of treatment,” Makwala said in a live Facebook video on Friday.
He stated that in 2015, he was surprised to find that the Sportsperson of the year award had been given to boxer, Zibani Chikanda when he (Chikanda) had performed well below par compared to him (Makwala). Makwala said just when he was trying to forget what happened in 2015, yet another shocking decision happened at the 2017 BNSC awards.
He said they gave him the sportsman of the year award in 2017, because they did not have a choice as he had outclassed everyone. However, just when he expected to walk away with the sportsperson of the year as well, he was snubbed again. “They gave that award to a Badminton referee.
You can imagine that award being given to a referee when I clearly deserved it. You mean I should compete with a referee for that award when he was not even the best referee? Even the guy was reluctant to go and receive the award because he was equally surprised that he won it ahead of me,” Makwala said. Makwala said what was even more surprising was that the person walked away with the Sportsperson of the year award when he was not even a winner in the sportsman of the year award category.
He said he has done nothing wrong to deserve such treatment from the BNSC. He further said he recently learnt that there is an incentive for breaking African records but it has not been rewarded after he broke records before. He said upon realization, he contacted the Botswana Athletics Association (BAA) over the matter since he broke the African records in 2014 and 2015.
Makwlala added that the BAA forwarded the matter to the BNSC and now things are stuck for him. “That is why I said when it comes to the time to represent my country, there is no motivation on my part, but I do it just so that the morale in the camp does not go down,” he said.
Meanwhile Makwala has defended the decision to participate in the Diamond League ahead of big events like Olympics. He said he shares his fans’ concerns on cutting down the number of events to allow for his body to be in good shape ahead of the Olympics.
The sprinter however explained that as athletes, they are left with no choice, but to participate in the Diamond League, because of the financial rewards that come with it. He said the concerns and advise on him and other national athletes about reducing the number of races ahead of big events are genuine, but stated that the rewards in Diamond League outweigh those of the Olympics.
“I know people always complain that ahead of the bigger events like Olympics, we are always fatigued, and yes that is true. But at the end of the day we have to look at where we can get financial gain for the future of our kids. I am very happy that Amantle Montsho is settled now (financially) and that is because she did very well in the Diamond League,” Makwala said on Friday.
His sentiments come in the wake of his explosive performances in recent weeks ahead of the Tokyo Olympics scheduled for next month. Makwala said like everyone else, he is always praying to bring the Olympics medal home.
However, he explained that as athletes, they gauge to find ways on how they can put food on the table. He said most of the time they manage to put food on the table through participation in the Diamond League. He said the Botswana policy dictates that they get P50 per day when they are in the national team camp, which comes only ahead of events.
He said at the Olympics, camp allowance is US$30 per day, which is not enough to sustain their lives. “Now when you compare Olympics versus Diamond League, Botswana Policy says that when you win an Olympic gold medal, you get P100, 000.
At the Diamond League, when you finish at number one, you get US$10, 000, which is around P100, 000 that you get as an Olympic gold medalist.” Makwala also said it is for the financial reason that they put all their energy into the Diamond League.