Botswana Telecommunications Corporation Limited (BTC) will on Sunday 23rd April 2023 host the second BTC Francistown Marathon 2023 at Obed Itani Chilume Stadium in Francistown.
A statement from BTCL Managing Director, Anthony Masunga BTC remains committed to extending corporate responsibilities beyond the core business. “We aim to conduct ourselves responsibly and sustainably, thus contributing to the socio-economic development of Botswana. Francistown city, being a key economic hub for the country became our choice for the marathon, as one of our many areas we have identified to contribute positively to the socio-economic activity of Botswana. We look forward to your participation in helping to deliver the exciting and pivotal event aimed at promoting athletics in Botswana and boosting the economy of Francistown,” reads part of the statement.
The BTC Francistown Marathon will be an annual event taking place in April and is this year targeting local and international and athletes, with a special 5-kilometre peace run category for children.
Through this marathon, BTC seeks to positively impact as well as boost the economy of the city of Francistown with an activity that will transform the lives of the residents, the business community, and neighboring villages. BTC has also onboarded the Francistown Athletics Club (FAC), a local athletics club registered with Botswana Athletics Authority (BAA) to assist with coordinating the marathon to illustrate inclusivity with the local community. From the marathon, BTC will donate all proceeds collected from the event to charity and the beneficiaries will be identified from the Greater Francistown and Northeast region.
The objective for hosting the marathon in Francistown include, amongst others.
• To positively impact the lives of our communities in pursuit of social, economic, and environmental sustainability.
• To provide a platform that offers opportunities for commercial mileage for host communities, thus boosting the economy of the city of Francistown.
• To maintain, promote, and support community upliftment projects throughout Botswana by partnering with stakeholders for long-term sustainable projects.
• To offer a platform that may be used to drive sports developments from ground roots.
To create awareness and activations towards the main event, BTC hosted the marathon launch on Wednesday 8th February 2023. There shall be subsequent activations and stakeholder engagements building up to the marathon. BTC will use this opportunity to announce sponsors and continue to create awareness on the goodwill that comes with sponsoring such a noble event.