The Paralympics Association of Botswana (PASSOBO) is intensifying efforts to expand para sport across the country, with a renewed focus on reviving sporting codes that have been inactive and bringing more athletes with disabilities into organised sport.
Speaking on the association’s expansion efforts, PASSOBO Public Relations Officer Kgosietsile Motlhaping said the association was working to take para sport to communities across Botswana and reinvigorate sporting codes that had been neglected.
He said the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) had encouraged PASSOBO to revive such sporting codes as part of efforts to identify and develop more talent.
Among the codes that have been reintroduced are goalball, blind football, Para powerlifting and fencing.
Motlhaping said the expansion of goalball and other para sports was largely dependent on the availability of suitable facilities, particularly institutions and centres that accommodate blind and visually impaired people and can provide the minimum requirements for adequate training.
“The expansion efforts are largely determined by sponsorship,” he said, highlighting funding as one of the major factors influencing how quickly the association can take the sports to different parts of the country.
The expansion programme has already begun in Mochudi, with PASSOBO planning to move next to Jwaneng, followed by Francistown and eventually Maun.
The Mochudi initiative coincided with the official launch of the IPC Development Model in the village, marking the beginning of a series of regional initiatives aimed at expanding para sport and creating more opportunities for people with disabilities.
The launch included demonstrations of blind football, goalball, Para powerlifting and wheelchair tennis, with representatives from the IPC, Toyota Mobility Foundation, the Embassy of Japan and the Ministry of Sport and Arts in attendance.
PASSOBO has also taken goalball to tertiary institutions, recently visiting BA ISAGO University to introduce students to the sport, which is specifically designed for athletes with visual impairments.
Motlhaping said such initiatives were important in creating a pathway for young people to become athletes, coaches and advocates for inclusive sport.
He added that the growth of the Paralympic movement was also helping to expose more sporting talent, while increasing public interest in different para sporting codes.
According to Motlhaping, research conducted by the association indicates a growing base of people interested in attending para sporting events and supporting the development of leagues across various codes.
He further credited the Disability Act with creating greater opportunities for government and other stakeholders to participate in disability-related programmes, contributing to increased participation in para sport.
Motlhaping said the development of para sport should not be viewed as an expensive undertaking, particularly at the grassroots level.
He appealed to communities, businesses and other stakeholders to support the movement in whatever way they could, saying even modest assistance could help grow the sports.
“Paralympics are very important because they open up sporting talent and bring out more people who can be seen and attended to by different people,” he said.
As PASSOBO prepares to take its expansion drive to more parts of Botswana, the association hopes that greater exposure, improved facilities and increased sponsorship will help uncover athletes who could compete at national and international level.
The initiative is ultimately aimed at ensuring that disability is not a barrier to sporting participation and that talented athletes across Botswana have an opportunity to develop and compete.
