GIM attracts star power
“I am pleased to announce that we have concluded agreements with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Silver medalist in 200 meters, World leading in 200m and the first ever, Namibian woman to win an Olympic medal, none other than the most talked about 18-yearold athlete, Christine Mboma. Yes, she will be here come April 30, 2022. From Kenya we have the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Silver medalist in 800m, Ferguson Rotich, our own 2020 Tokyo Olympics bronze medalists in 4X400 metres men’s relay team members have confirmed, including our London 2012 Silver Medalist, Nijel Amos,” Chairperson of the Meet, Barulaganye Mogotsi confirmed. Mogotsi highlighted that there are other high profile international athletes who are showing interest in the Meet but are struggling to close the deals with them due to financial constraints. Local international athletes, Namibia, South Africa, Cameroon, Germany, Poland, Kenya, Eswathini, Lesotho, Nigeria, Zambia and Zimbabwe have all confirmed their participation thus far and organizers will continue to receive confirmations from other countries until April 4, 2022. As an international track and field event, coaches and athletes will be looking forward to use the meet to qualify for the upcoming competitions including; Africa Championships, Commonwealth Games, World Under 20 Championship and the prestigious World Championships. “In terms of engagement with stakeholders the GIM is in constant consultation with the Ministry of Health & Wellness specifically on the Covid-19 travel requirements for international athletes. Further, GIM is in constant consultation with the Department of Immigration and Citizenship for our athletes to obtain visas upon arrival. Furthermore, as it is a requirement, GIM is in constant consultations with the Botswana Police Service for security provisions,” Mogotsi revealed their plans to ensure seamless and smooth operations to deliver the spectacular event. It was also revealed that BAA will be providing GIM 2022 with all the required equipment and implements including but not limited to the electronic timing equipment.In addition, the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) has appointed Enias Nhoro from Zimbabwe as an International Technical Delegate to ensure that the Meet is run in accordance with World Athletics rules and Tour regulations.