'There are big opportunities' - Khotso Mokena tells coaches at launch of new school sports programme in Ratanda
As Olympian Khotso Mokoena addressed the audience at the Khanya-Lesedi School of Sport Specialisation in Ratanda on 25 November, the five giant interlaced Olympic rings of blue, red, yellow, black and green stood out on the edge of the school's synthetic track.
It was on that very field where Mokoena's path to the Olympics was paved and after a successful career, that includes three Olympic Games and a silver medal in Beijing 2008, the long jumper is uniting his community through what moulded him into the person he is today.
On Monday 25 November, Mokoena launched the Uniting a community through sport programme that aims to equip and upskill coaches at the school to produce well-rounded athletes. The launch which took place in the Heidelberg township school was attended by dignitaries including national Deputy Minister of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation Peace Mabe, Sedibeng Local Municipality mayor Mluleki Nkosi and officials from the sponsors of the programme, Vopak's We Connect Foundation.
"The programme is going to empower both coaches and athletes, equipping them with skills that go beyond coaching and the school premises. I don't believe that Ratanda is just a community. Ratanda is a foundation of greatness. There are lots of athletes that come from here,” he told #TheTopRunner. Mokoena explained that he was encouraged by the children in his community who were inspired by his triumph inside the Bird's Nest in Beijing, adding that the programme which is under the umbrella of his Youth Athletes Skills Development Institute (YASDI) initiative, is here to ensure their dreams are realised.
"When I came back from the Beijing Olympics, I was paraded around the community. I was struck by the joy from the children who ran alongside the bus. I don't think they were only celebrating that their Olympian had come back home. They dreamt of being Olympians, representing SA and breaking records. Today, we are making sure the dreams they had are realised. We are going to equip and prepare them a future in sport and beyond," said the long jumper who also won medals at the World Athletics Championships, Commonwealth Games and African Championships.
Outlining the programme which is sponsored by infrastructure storage giants Vopak, Crocodile said they are going to inspire the coaches to see beyond their local clubs by equipping them with important technical skills and safeguarding knowledge with the hope that some may grow into professional coaches one day.
"We want to ensure that you make coaching a career. There are big opportunities besides coaching your local clubs. We are going to send you to high performance centres to be equipped with the right skills. The athletes will be taught about brand building and how to improve their communication skills."
Khanya-Lesedi alumnus and former middle-distance and cross-country specialist Emma Manana, who is also a long-distance coach at the school, welcomed the programme, saying it would help the athletes aim beyond the national championships. "Many of our children are not well developed. This programme is going to play a crucial role in their development. We’ve had many of them compete at the nationals but not further. With this programme upskilling us as coaches, our children will go far," she said.
Sprinter Zinhle Kubheka thanked Mokoena, his team and Vopak for investing in them. "A lot of athletes are going to benefit. A lot of us lack of technical skills and I believe we are in the right hands under Khotso and his team."
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