MASERU — The Lesotho National Olympic Committee (LNOC) has confirmed four of the country’s competitors for the forthcoming Youth Olympic Games in Singapore.
They are Tsehla Monethi, Khulu Pasane, Lineo Machobane and Ntsekhe Setho.
Monethi will compete in the 100m and 200m athletics races, while the taekwondo duo of Pasane and Machobane will take part in the in 44-49kg and 44kg categories respectively.
Setho will compete in backstroke and freestyle swimming.
The participants will be accompanied by three coaches who are yet to be named.
Team manager Phelane Phomane, team doctor Sipho Nyathi and chef de mission Morake Raleaka will also be part of the delegation.
The contingent could be joined by two more athletes and as many tennis players who have just achieved the qualifying marks for the Games.
The team will go for a two-week camp at Pretoria’s High Performance Centre in July before they proceed to Singapore.
The Singapore Youth Olympic Games are scheduled to run from August 14 to 24.
Phomane confirmed all the developments to the Lesotho Times, adding that there were four more players who had just qualified for the games.
“There is a team of four confirmed players that will be representing the country at the Singapore Youth Olympic Games in August this year,” Phomane said.
“There are, however, another four players from tennis and athletics who have just qualified and we are working on that.”
Phomane said Lesotho’s team was likely to find the competition in Singapore stiff because of lack of experience.
“It is very difficult to say if our representatives will perform to the extent of bringing medals back home because they only have regional experience,” he said.
“They’ve never competed in any competition outside the region.”
Meanwhile, Phomane said the LNOC was forced to rule out boxing because of age irregularities.
“Lesotho was given an opportunity to compete in boxing but had to transfer that slot to taekwondo because the (local) boxing association had given us an over-aged player,” he said.
The Youth Olympic Games are for those who are 18 and below only.
