As the 2020 Olympic Games beckon, the University of Botswana continues to offer its facilities to help in the preparation of national teams athletes to make sure they are fit for the games slated for Tokyo, Japan from July 24 to August 9, 2020.
According to the organisers of the Games, the event will be “the most innovative ever organised, and will rest on three fundamental principles to transform the world: striving for your personal best (achieving your personal best); accepting one another (unity in diversity); and passing on a legacy for the future (connecting to tomorrow)”.
As such, the Department of Physical Education, Health and Recreation recently hosted the Botswana national boxing team at the Campus Indoor Sports Centre for performance analysis and conditioning. The pugilists underwent a number of exercises to test speed, physical and mental fitness levels as well as physical and mental endurance.
The hosting of such exercises at the Campus Indoor Sports Centre is part of the University’s strategy to become a high performance centre that will save Botswana millions of funds which are usually spent on sending athletes abroad for performance analysis and conditioning
Once the dream is fully realised, there will be no need for the Botswana National Sports Commission and Botswana National Olympic Committee to spend millions of Pula sending athletes abroad for performance analysis and conditioning.
The University has performance laboratories ideal for analyzing and improving performance. The laboratories are also ideal for carrying out scientific study of sport which can assist sports teams with testing and prescribing fitness protocols.
Further, given the infrastructure and expertise that UB is endowed with, the country will be able to monitor and groom young talented athletes in junior and senior secondary schools through development of data banks of performance characteristics of such athletes and can track them for better future performance.
Meanwhile, the Campus Indoor Sports Centre was officially opened by former President, Lt Gen Dr Seretse Khama Ian Khama in 2017. The former President had expressed confidence that the envisaged high performance centre would in addition assist or compliment local hospitals around the country in rehabilitating injured and recuperating patients. He also said it would be used to promote dietary and exercise health programmes through educating the public on healthy lifestyles as part of UB’s community service programme.
“I am delighted to say that UB has become a sports hub,” said President Khama then. UB also boasts an Olympic-size swimming pool, netball, tennis, handball, volleyball and netball courts as well as softball field and a stadium which caters for soccer, athletics and field events.
Other provisions at the indoor sports centre are six gyms which include martial arts, aerobics, strength training and cardio in addition to four squash courts and the arena with a seating capacity of 3 418 and providing a playing surface and jogging track.
“We need to ensure that these facilities are used for the benefit of this nation,” President Khama had advised then.