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Medical Committee hosts best practice safely returning to play workshop

Jun 23, 2021

GABORONE, Botswana – The Botswana Football Association (BFA) Medical Committee over the weekend hosted a two-day Return to Play workshop where an expert panel discussed their day-to-day experiences of dealing with the challenges related to Covid-19, including their level of preparedness in the high-performance sport environment.

The seminar held on Friday and Saturday at Lekidi Football Centre in Gaborone was aimed at ensuring that a considerable level of set health precautions is always upheld and to support all teams in the BFA structures, making sure they are capacitated, speak one language of ‘hygiene, prevention and prompt recognition’.

The committee, which is chaired by Dr. Lone Bogwasi, include Mpho Bogopa, Dr. Monkgogi Thakgathi, Aldrin Majaye, Kitso Dlamini, Golekanye Morutwa, Kaelo Kgosieyang, Dr. Mwamba Nsebula, Tshepo Makete and Tiroyaone Otimile.

Furthermore, the committee sought to identify areas of need by the football association as well as develop policies regarding sports medical matters locally.

This entails aspects of sports medicine, nutrition, psychology, sports science including continuous education and research which are part of the evolving field of football medicine.

The policy development will be done over the next three (3) months and handed over to the BFA National Executive Committee (NEC) for endorsement, implementation and roll out to the various structures of the FA.

“The medical profession and the country will look onto us and football to ensure outmost safety of the players during their engagement in footballing activities. A multi-disciplinary approach is needed in our engagement to ensure a holistic approach to caring for the athlete to enable a conducive environment for them to excel,” said Dr. Lone Bogwasi when addressing the workshop. From Gaborone, the training will be rolled out to all BFA Regional structures across the COVID-19 zones. This is expected to be done over a period of 2-3 weeks.

“The training will cover all teams in those regions being BFL, First Divisions, RFAs leagues as well as the women’s league.”

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CAF Head of Safety and Security and BFA President Pay Courtesy Visit to Police Leadership

In a significant gesture of collaboration and partnership, Dr. Christian Emeruwa, the Head of Safety and Security for the Confederation of African Football (CAF), along with Botswana Football Association (BFA) President Mr. Tariq T. Babitseng and BFA Chief Operations Officer Mr. Kago Mosinyi, paid a courtesy visit to the Botswana Police Service. The visit aimed to strengthen the relationship between the two organizations, focusing on the integral role that the police play in ensuring the safety and security of all BFA competitions.

During the visit, the delegation met with integral pool of experts a group of key police leaders, who are central to the successful execution of security operations at football events across the country. Among those present were prominent members of the Botswana Police Service, including Mr. Katlholo Mosimanegape, Deputy Commissioner of Police, and several senior officers.

These included Senior Assistant Commissioner Antony Wally (Director of Operations), Senior Assistant Commissioner Godfrey Phonchi (Commander, SSG), Senior Assistant Commissioner Boeletswe Gobotswang (Director, Departmental Services), Senior Assistant Commissioner Reginald Matlhaba (Divisional Commander, South Central), Senior Assistant Commissioner Mudongo Chitutu (Director, Crime Intelligence), and Assistant Commissioner Christopher B. Ndlovu (Deputy Director of Traffic).

The meeting was focused on discussing the coordination and support provided by the police in delivering effective safety and security measures during BFA matches, as well as future collaboration on upcoming projects. The visit highlighted the importance of this partnership in ensuring smooth and secure football matches for both players and spectators.

Both Dr. Emeruwa and Mr. Babitseng expressed their gratitude for the continued cooperation and commitment of the Botswana Police Service in safeguarding the integrity of football events and ensuring the safety of all involved.