Seabata Mahao
The Lesotho National Olympics Committee (LNOC) has conferred Diploma in Advanced Sports Management certificates upon 15 graduates who completed a rigorous nine-month training course.
Morake Raleaka, LNOC’s chief executive officer, highlighted the significance of this training for the improvement of sports administration in the country.
“With this opportunity, the graduates will be able to apply for international jobs in countries such as Europe as the certificate is internationally recognized,” Raleaka affirmed.
He added: “Out of 22 applicants in this course only 15 were able to proceed, with eight women and 13 men making up the cohort.”
The Minister of Tourism, Sports, Art and Culture, Motlatsi Maqelepo, who graced the ceremony, said sports administration and development play an important role in the improvement of sports across the country.
“This is a step in the right direction towards improving sports in Lesotho,” Maqelepo said.
The course consisted of six modules which included time management, managing finance, managing human resource as well as organising major sports events to mention just a few according to LNOC facilitator, Zongezile Dlangamandla.
In a separate event, the Lesotho Football Association (LeFA) celebrated the graduation of 29 coaches who completed the Confederation of African Football (CAF) B license badges.
The CAF B license Coaching Diploma Badges training consisted theoretical and practical sessions. The license is the third highest in the continent after the CAF Pro and CAF A Licence Coaching Diplomas.
“The list of local coaches that have bagged the CAF B Licence Coaching Diploma include several of the Premier League coaches such as Mosholu ‘Shoes’ Mokhothu, Mosito ‘Careca’ Matela, Daniel Ntlaloe, Retšelisitsoe Lephaila as well as those that specialises with women football including, the former Lesotho international Lengana Nkhethoa and Tjamela Tjamela as well as well as the well-known youth coaches like Kalaela Tseka and Mohaila Letseka,” LeFA said in a statement.
Other licensees included retired duo of former South African stars in Mark Mayambela and Shu-Aib Walters.
Lehlohonolo Thotanyana, the LeFA Technical Director stated that the successful staging of the CAF B License course indicates they are still on the right direction with their coaching development programmes.
“The successful completion of the course is an indication that we are still in the right direction with our coach education goals to train our coaches. For coaches, it’s important to use the skills acquired during the course and take their work with all the seriousness needed to progress in their pathway of coaching.
“They must be very serious and professional in every conduct and approach of coaching because the results as well as the certificates are nothing but what the person is a coach and not the certificates,” Thotanyane stated.
