Chris Theko
Top Lesotho Boxing Coach Sebusiso Keketsi has been appointed a member of the Association Internationale de Boxe Amateur (AIBA).
Keketsi will be serving as a member of the AIBA Coaches Committee and was notified by the AIBA Board of Directors about the appointment on March, 26.
In the letter written to Keketsi informing him of the appointment, the President of AIBA Umar Kremlev mentions that he is confident in the abilities of the appointee.
“I am confident that with your vast knowledge and experience you will make a valuable contribution to the success of this important committee,†reads part of the letter.
“I take the opportunity to welcome you to this new role and look forward to working closely with you†Kremlev said in the letter.
Keketsi confirmed the news to this publication on Monday while expressing his happiness about the appointment.
“I am very proud and happy because this is exactly what I have been working so hard towards achieving and it has finally arrived,†Kekektsi said.
The membership positions in the structures and committee of AIBA are made available to the member countries and Kekektsi said he had been vying for the position for a long time hence when positions were announced this year he did not hesitate but applied immediately.
The process of appointing a new member in any of the committees is led by applications then followed by the voting of the AIBA Board of Directors. Following that process, Keketsi was identified as the best candidate and was therefore elected.
“I saw the nomination forms when they were put out and as a coach I was obviously interested in the Coaches committee hence I applied for it and I am grateful that I was chosen,†he said.
He said the appointment is not only good for him as an individual but also the country especially the boxing fraternity because it will open a lot of doors for them at the international stage.
“The international body serves boxing directly to all the member associations, so my being part of the committee means I am now the source of information as far as Lesotho is concerned.
“I will be able to have a say in the international body that will then influence things. The Lesotho Boxing Association, fellow coaches and boxers will have direct information.
“When something comes from the headquarters of AIBA, Lesotho now has someone with an inside information and assistance,†he explained.
The 39-year-old former boxer is the highest ranked and most decorated coach in the country with international star level 3 which is the highest in the world as far as boxing is concerned.
He received his first coaching certificate in 2007 while in Cuba before going on to enroll for an AIBA coaching course in 2014.
