Kabelo Boranabi | Friday, January 22, 2021 4:16 PM

It comes after this year’s event was moved to South Africa for the first time in the event’s 30-year history. The race, commonly referred to as Mantswabisi, has been postponed for the second year in a row in Botswana but will be held in Upington South, making it the first time since 1991 that the race has been held outside the country. ‘The situation of [the coronavirus] (COVID-19) has caused everything that is going on right now.

The race needs months of preparation and COVID-19 caused a failure, it becomes a headache to organize and conquer whatever comes with the pandemic.

As local players we are aware that SACCS will host the race in Upington but this is temporary, we are confident it will be back here next year. Neither side has expressed dissatisfaction with the deal they want, so we should expect the race to come home next year, ”said Botswana Motor chairman. Sport (BMS), Kagiso Modibedi, at Mmegi Sport. He admitted, however, that BMS had their hands tied and would await a communication from the South African Cross Country Championship (SACCS) on the matter.

Mantswabisi is the biggest cross country event in southern Africa and forms the third round of the SACCS and the BMS National Championship. The three-day event is loved by runners and spectators alike as it gives participants a chance to double the points.

It draws crowds estimated at just under 200,000 each year, making it the largest sporting event in the country. Botswana has been home to TDR since 1991, traveling thousands of kilometers across several regions including Gaborone, Mantshwabisi, Lentsweletau, Hatsalatladi and Kumakwane, the last stop being Jwaneng. In 2018, in accordance with the requirements of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) that the terrain is changed every five years, the race was moved to Selebi-Phikwe.

SACCS, BMS, the Botswana Tourism Organization (BTO) and SPEDU have signed a five-year agreement to host the event in Selebi-Phikwe. Organizers announced earlier this year that the race had been canceled in Botswana. However, according to a revised SACCS schedule, TDR would be held in Upington, Northern Cape, on the weekend of June 18-20, the scheduled date for the race in Phikwe. With the contract in its third year and two editions already canceled, fears grew that Botswana had lost accommodation rights to the neighboring country. SACCS and the Botswana Tourism Organization (BTO) have also assured that the postponement of TDR in Botswana does not mean that the competition is relocating.

Both sides said the postponement was due to the rise of the new COVID-19 strain in the sub-region. “The logistical and infrastructure requirements for the TDR 1000 are enormous, and given the severe impact of the 2020 pandemic on global economies, health and personal fronts, combined with the unpredictability of the near future, we believe this is a responsible decision, ”SACCS chief executive Archie Rutherford reportedly said. Last year the race lost its place as the official qualifying event for the Dakar rally as the Kalahari Desert Race, held in South Africa, got the green light. Modibedi, meanwhile, said BMS won’t have a national championship this year but will have a few races to patch up. “We don’t want to be seen as a federation that has spread the pandemic in the country.

So surely, when we have a big event, a lot of people show up, right now we are on hold. We will organize a few races to compensate for the national championship, ”he said.