From MmegiOnline
By KOKETSO KGOBOGE
Botswana softball’s umpire-in-chief, Abel Mataboge has been selected to officiate at the senior men’s World Baseball and Softball Championships (WBSC) Championships to be held in Canada in July this year.
ByKOKETSO KGOBOGE Thu 16 Mar 2017, 14:49 pm (GMT +2) Tweet0 Comments Email Share
He joins 24 umpires from 15 countries appointed for the 15th edition of the championships.
WBSC released the list of umpires on Tuesday.
South Africa’s Ashly Mmakola is the only other umpire from the African continent. Mataboge is no stranger from officiating on the world stage.
His previous international assignments include, among others, the 2011 Under 16 Woman’s World Cup in Florida, United States of America, 2011 Junior Women’s World Championships in Cape Town, South Africa.
His first WBSC call up came in 2013 in the junior men’s championship staged in Whitehorse in Canada. He officiated in a similar competition at the same venue again two years later and for the third time last year in Michigan, USA.
Mataboge said he is elated with the selection to the WBSC senior men’s championships.
He said it is an opportunity every umpire across the globe is eyeing.
“I consider myself lucky. It’s not easy for any umpire to get two World Championships in a row in a space of a year, when umpires across the globe are competing for the same spot. It’s a massive recognition,” he said.
“This is a milestone for me. It’s a senior men’s
championship and it gives me an opportunity to prove myself further and hopefully I will realise my target of getting an Olympic selection.”
Botswana Softball Associations public relations officer, Kelebogile Seitei said Mataboge’s exploits in the international scene will act as an encouragement to other local umpires to grow their game. Click here to continue reading at MmegiOnline.