Africa-Press – Botswana. The Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC) has launched their new emblem, as per the International Olympic Committee (IOC) guidelines. The IOC Guidelines dictates that member National Olympic Committees should update their branding icons amongst others emblem, in order to be in compliance with the newly approved standards.
As such, the BNOC has replaced the Botswana coat of arms but opted to only use the Botswana flags, the Olympic rings and the bold Botswana name.
Speaking at the launch, BNOC vice president, Tshepo Sitale said the BNOC was mandated with the development, promotion and protection of the Olympic movement within their jurisdiction in accordance with the Olympic Charter.
“In this respect, we are subject to a series of rules and regulations that dictate how the mandate and image of the IOC and by extension the BNOC are represented in Botswana,” he said.
Sitale said in 2020, the IOC released new guidelines on NOC emblems (logos) as a transition was being made to the future of the IOC and with the implementation of the Agenda 2020+5.
As such, he said the BNOC’s existing logo was deemed non- compliant with the new regulations and it became apparent that a new logo format, in compliance with these modern regulations, was needed. “An important point to note was that the IOC emphasised a certain degree of standardisation with respect to the design of these logos; such that across the 206 NOC’s the designs were standard, with the main focal point being the ‘known’ symbol of a nation; in this instance the flag.
Certain NOC’s have incorporated national symbols, usually in the colour of their flag, however by and large the flag remains the focal element,” he said.
Sitale said NOCs were encouraged to use their national colours, name, flag and emblems, as well as NOC emblems in order to visually enhance the national identity of their Items.
He said NOCs had the right to choose the national identifications, which would be used by their delegations on clothing such as NOC emblem or national flag.
Former BNOC president, Negroes Kgosietsile said the BNOC affiliated to the IOC in 1978 and had its maiden participation at the Olympics in 1980 in Moscow.
“That time we hardly knew much about Olympics in Botswana; we just knew that there was sport only,” he said.
Going down memory lane, he said the founding president of BNOC was the late Mompati Merafhe adding that he was the one who established BNOC and made sure that it was registered and accepted at the IOC.
“At the time there were no resources such that when they started the movement, they didn’t have an office. It was more or less like a briefcase organisation,” he said.
BNOC president, Botsang Tshenyego said Botswana remained a strong part of the Olympic movement and they were supportive of the Olympic agenda.
He said the IOC was committed to the United Nations Agenda 2030 to the extent that they also called their own road map Agenda 2020, which elapsed that year. Tshenyego said they now had Agenda 2020+5.
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