Botswana Celebrates Its Olympic Gold Medal Winners

Going for Gold Botswana Botswanans expressed outrage at the government’s request this week to set up a donation fund for citizens to reward the country’s Olympic athletes, including Letslie Tebogo who became the nation’s first-ever Olympic gold medalist, the BBC reported. On Monday, the government asked citizens to honor the athletes by “contributing rewards to our champions.” But many citizens questioned why the government would ask for donations, instead of using public funds, noting that they already pay taxes. Some called on the cabinet to lead by example by donating a portion of their salaries. Still, others voiced support for the donation fund, adding that it should be open to all Africans to contribute. The announcement followed the country’s Olympic team returning home with a gold medal. Tebogo became the first African to win the men’s Olympic 200-meter sprint and set an African record of 19.46 seconds. He also won a silver medal in the men’s 4×400-meter relay alongside his teammates. Despite the controversy, there were large celebrations in Botswana with tens of thousands gathering at the National Stadium in the capital Gaborone to welcome the Olympic team home. Botswana is one of Africa’s wealthiest countries in terms of income per capita, yet it also faces one of the world’s highest rates of youth unemployment. The country is a major diamond producer, but has recently experienced a decline in revenues that has led the government to cut spending. Share this story