Moorosi Tsiane
OLYMPAFRICA Cougars were last week forced to pull out of the Sports Xpress Awards following a similar action by the Lesotho Volleyball Association (LVA).
In its letter to its affiliates, the LVA claimed that the organisers of the awards did not consult therefore the awards nominations are likely based on warped statistics.
“The LVA executive committee is aware of social media posts pertaining to the volleyball awards. The executive committee would like to inform its members and teams that it is not part of the selection of the nominated individuals and teams.
“The committee acknowledges that awarding of best performance in sports is a good initiative that we support. However, it should be done based on applicable statistics.
“The committee has contacted the authorities responsible for the said awards to withdraw the LVA from the current cycle,” reads part of the LVA letter.
The move perplexed me. I don’t understand the LVA’s standpoint on this matter.
The awards are being organised by an independent organisation which has its own independent panel. The said panel includes sports reporters and I fail to understand how the unavailability of statistics from the LVA would “cause confusion between volleyball teams”.
Firstly, volleyball is just a category in the awards. Cougars were nominated in the Best Development Team category along with teams from other disciplines. This means that the awards are not volleyball awards.
The LVA should get off its high horse and appreciate that there are people out there who see potential in some of their teams instead of trying to kill their spirits with warped reasoning.
The nomination would have boosted Cougars players’ spirits and motivated them to do more.
I have watched the girls in action. They play way too well for a team of such young girls. I have seen them beating heavy weights such as Red Skins in their pre-season tournament in June this year.
They have even given the likes of Mahlaseli and eventual tournament winners LMPS, a run for their money. I therefore believe that the LVA’s decision is bad for the development of the sport. I wish they could reconsider their stance.
