Africa-Press – Lesotho. Lesotho taekwondo will make its debut at the African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5 Youth Games next month and the country will be represented by a team of 20 fighters that will compete in the boys’ and girls’ tournaments.
Last weekend taekwondo held a preparation tournament at the Makoanyane Barracks to gauge the team’s readiness and, speaking on Tuesday, team manager Skh’okh’e Moroke said the athletes are trying their best.
Moroke’s description of the team’s preparations, however, did not inspire much confidence as he repeatedly said the team and its athletes are “trying.
” Moroke also admitted that because most of the fighters are students, the squad’s training time has been limited as sessions clash with school time.
In addition, taekwondo, like several other associations, is still waiting to receive the equipment it is supposed to use for preparations and competition at the Under-20 showpiece to be held in Maseru.
Moroke said the team does not know when the equipment will be provided but, after seeing the athletes perform last Saturday, he felt they looked sharp and ready for their debuts at the regional games.
“They are trying, they have been training and they looked sharp this weekend,’ Moroke said.
“It’s hard to say whether they are ready (for the AUSC Region 5 Youth Games) but they are talented youngsters and have been part of training.
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The experience of competing against the region’s best will also stand the young fighters in good stead, Moroke added.
“For us it’s the first time and we are happy to be involved, we hope to continue to be part of (the AUSC Region 5 Youth Games) in the coming years.
For the athletes, it will help with their development because they are young,” he said. The team goes into the championships under the cloud of infighting in the Lesotho Taekwondo Association (LTA).
The LTA has been engulfed in internal squabbles over the past year that have been dragged to the courts of law by the association’s member clubs. The cases have repeatedly caused several proposed elective conferences to be postponed.
The association still hasn’t held its elections and the sport’s popularity has been dwindling over the years. In 2020, three taekwondo athletes Michelle Tau, Rethabile Tjotjo and Marumo Moloisane lost their qualifying matches at the African Qualification Tournament held in Rabat, Morocco for the Tokyo Olympics. The LTA, however, hopes the AUSC Region 5 Youth Games will provide an opportunity to develop the athletes and give them competition experience.
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