Africa-Press – Botswana. Kutlwano Tatolo, summing up her comprehensive plans for BCF: “Our players should (also) have ratings that are comparative at continental level”.
Newly-elected president of Botswana Chess Federation (BCF), Kutlwano Tatolo, has laid out an ambitious four-year vision aimed at transforming the organisation into a dynamic and inclusive force in the country’s sporting landscape.
Elected at BCF’s annual general meeting in Palapye over the weekend, Tatolo subsequently told The Botswana Gazette that her leadership will focus on intensifying chess activity, revitalising rural training programmes, and enhancing Botswana’s competitiveness at the continental level.
First-year goals
“I see the Botswana Chess Federation of the next four years as a hyperactive sports association that has events every weekend covering the entire country,” she said in a telephone interview. “Our players should also have ratings that are comparative at continental level.”
Her first priority is to secure both new and returning sponsors while publishing a clear calendar of events. “The goal is to give our activities structure and visibility from the start,” she said, emphasising that a financially stable federation would be better positioned to drive participation and player development.
Reviving rural chess development is another cornerstone of her plans. “We want to bring back coaching clinics in rural areas and resuscitate training centres,” said Tatolo. “Of course, all this will require financial backing, so securing that support is key.”
Media support
On the international stage, Tatolo said Botswana’s national teams need exposure to tougher competition in order to improve their ratings and results.
“Improvement in ratings and performance can only be achieved through access to higher-level tournaments,” she said. “But it will always boil down to whether BCF can afford to send its national teams to those events.”
To attract sponsorship, Tatolo aims to rebuild the federation’s relationship with the media and raise its public profile. “We need to remind corporates of Botswana Chess,” she said. “We can only do so through media support.”
She also pointed to the growing role of online platforms in sustaining chess during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying BCF should now be more intentional about integrating digital formats into its programmes.
Harnessing technology
“Since COVID, BCF improved on online chess,” she pointed out. “They happen all the time. We just need to schedule them properly and find funding to support them.”
The newly-elected executive committee includes Thabo Gumpo as vice president-technical, Oabona Keabofe as vice president-administration, Kgalalelo Botlhole as secretary general, Kebalepile Francis as treasurer, Goitsemodimo Makgatle as public relations director, and Dolly Thapelo as development director.
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