Botswana Judo Federation (BJF) Marketing Director, Nyaladzi Tema is confident that his fighters can deliver outstanding performances and make it to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The Judo National team has brought home 10 medals from the just ended South African Judo Championship held in Nelson Mandela Mission valley University campus, Betheldorp.
Majority of those who competed at the just ended SA Open Championships are from the best junior and senior athletes, according to Tema, “we are currently preparing for the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics qualification cycle. Most of the fighters have just graduated from Cadets to Juniors and are the focus of our plan for 2028 Olympics,” Tema said.
He added that the just ended SA Open Championships was a preliminary competition for them as they build towards the African championships next month, even though their participation will largely depend on availability of funds.
“Our goal is to develop our judokas into continental champions, and eventually a dominant team in African Judo. Our mission is to elevate Botswana Judo to be the best in Africa. We gain confidence from our good competitive performances in Southern Africa, and aim to position ourselves at the top on the Continent.”
This competition was a great start for the Juniors and there is hope to further have them participate at the World Juniors, again if finances allow them to go the distance.
The team has an age ranging between 20-30 years and according to Tema this is a team for the future, but apart from finances, there are several other challenges they come across.
“It is very important for us to have a young team because the International Judo Federation (IJF) has put in place new regulations/rules, which may render it challenging for countries like Botswana to participate in the World Tours.”
As it stands, local Judokas need to earn competitive points to be able to attend certain Major IJF competitions such as the world championships, among others. These are competitions with significant qualification potential and therefore the less the athletes compete, the more difficult it will be for them to qualify for the Olympics.
Meanwhile, he said they need as many competitions as is possible to accumulate the required points for each athlete to progress through the qualification cycle. “The talent and potential in the Botswana team is immense, and our outstanding performances in regional competitions are a testament to this.”
BJF sent a team of 12 athletes and 10 of them got 3 gold medals and there Tirelo Lekoko, Lauryn Pulamoeng and Tumiso Phuthego while 4 Silver medals were secured through Victoria Leagajang, Botho Babutsi, Kago Dube, Maatla Serokana and three Bronze medals from Phadi Babuile, Precious Takuwa and Neo Kapeko.
The Judo National team has brought home 10 medals from the just ended South African Judo Championship held in Nelson Mandela Mission valley University campus, Betheldorp.
Majority of those who competed at the just ended SA Open Championships are from the best junior and senior athletes, according to Tema, “we are currently preparing for the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics qualification cycle. Most of the fighters have just graduated from Cadets to Juniors and are the focus of our plan for 2028 Olympics,” Tema said.
He added that the just ended SA Open Championships was a preliminary competition for them as they build towards the African championships next month, even though their participation will largely depend on availability of funds.
“Our goal is to develop our judokas into continental champions, and eventually a dominant team in African Judo. Our mission is to elevate Botswana Judo to be the best in Africa. We gain confidence from our good competitive performances in Southern Africa, and aim to position ourselves at the top on the Continent.”
This competition was a great start for the Juniors and there is hope to further have them participate at the World Juniors, again if finances allow them to go the distance.
The team has an age ranging between 20-30 years and according to Tema this is a team for the future, but apart from finances, there are several other challenges they come across.
“It is very important for us to have a young team because the International Judo Federation (IJF) has put in place new regulations/rules, which may render it challenging for countries like Botswana to participate in the World Tours.”
As it stands, local Judokas need to earn competitive points to be able to attend certain Major IJF competitions such as the world championships, among others. These are competitions with significant qualification potential and therefore the less the athletes compete, the more difficult it will be for them to qualify for the Olympics.
Meanwhile, he said they need as many competitions as is possible to accumulate the required points for each athlete to progress through the qualification cycle. “The talent and potential in the Botswana team is immense, and our outstanding performances in regional competitions are a testament to this.”
BJF sent a team of 12 athletes and 10 of them got 3 gold medals and there Tirelo Lekoko, Lauryn Pulamoeng and Tumiso Phuthego while 4 Silver medals were secured through Victoria Leagajang, Botho Babutsi, Kago Dube, Maatla Serokana and three Bronze medals from Phadi Babuile, Precious Takuwa and Neo Kapeko.
