Bocheletsane Half Marathon bounces back

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…and Bocheletsane Cycling Classic

NTHAKO MAJORO

MASERU – The Bocheletsane Half Marathon and a cycling race dubbed Bocheletsane Cycling Classic will both bounce back next month.  The two events return to the local sporting calendar after an indefinite halt following the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw both events take place once in 2019.

The return of the two sporting events was announced by both the Federation of Athletics Lesotho (FAL) and the Federation of Cycling Lesotho (FCL) on Wednesday this week.

The two races, which were both sponsored by Matekane Group of Companies (MGC) before the COVID-19 pandemic, will now be backed by the Sam Matekane Foundation (SMF), which is a sister company to MGC.

Both MGC and SMF were founded by Prime Minister Ntsokoane Sam Matekane. SMF is going to invest M600 000 for the two sporting events – M400 000 for the Bocheletsane Half Marathon and M200 000 for the Bocheletsane Cycling Classic

The sponsorship for Bocheletsane Cycling Classic has increased from M65 000 and Bocheletsane Half Marathon from M216 000.

“The Sam Matekane Foundation was founded three years ago, and I must say that it had an interest in investing in the development of sports,” said Baba Malephane on behalf of SMF. “I must also indicate that our sister company (MGC) sponsored these races before, but as the Sam Matekane Foundation, we had an interest in bringing stability and improvement.”

He further said: “This is because there will not be stability in sports if there are no competitions.”Malephane, who is also the former Lesotho Football Association (LeFA) executive member and former vice president for the Premier League Management Committee (PLMC) and the Lesotho Sport and Recreation Commission (LSRC), said SMF backed both FAL and FCL because they wanted to help the local sports bodies, the Lesotho National Olympic Committee (LNOC) and LSRC. 

For his Prt, FLR President, Tšeliso Pheta, expressed gratitude to SMF for returning Bocheletsane Half Marathon. “Thanks a lot to the Sam Matekane Foundation for returning this race,” he said.  “We kept asking ourselves whether or not the race would bounce back in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Pheta said that as a result, they had no answers for the local athletes, who kept asking them when the race would return. On behalf of LNOC, Mark West said they were pleased with the sponsorships for both FAL and FCL. “We are very happy as LNOC to learn of this initiative, particularly the increased amount of sponsorships, because over the past few years we have experienced a decrease in sponsorships,” he said.  

“The different co-operators gave reasons for economics and everything else, but I believe the increase from the Sam Matekane Foundation is not economic-based but based on the passion of seeing sports develop in the country, and we really appreciate that because, as national federations and mother-bodies (LSRC and LNOC), there is only a certain amount we can do to help a few athletes financially.” 

West further said: “But the way to develop that is by having competitions where they can actually perform and get the prize money for themselves, not only as an encouragement for them to increase the level of performance but also to see athletes coming from other countries in the neighbourhood compete against our athletes because if we start having big prizes, it will attract the cycling athletes from South Africa, Eswatini, and Botswana to come.”

Cyclists will compete for the championships of 126 km, 40 km, BMX freestyle, and pump track, amongst others.

The winner of Bocheletsane Cycling Classic’s 126 km will pocket M15 000, while the 40 km’s winner will take home M10 000. Bocheletsane Half Marathon winners (in both men and women sections) will go home richer with M25,000. The races will take place on March 17.

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