Lesotho misses out on RASA nominations
Leemisa Thuseho LESOTHO has once again failed to secure a single nomination among the finalists for the 2026 African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5 Annual Sports Awards (RASA). The AUSC Region 5 this week unveiled the top three finalists in each category ahead of the awards ceremony scheduled for... The post Lesotho misses out on RASA nominations appeared first on Lesotho Times.
Black News 
Leemisa Thuseho
LESOTHO has once again failed to secure a single nomination among the finalists for the 2026 African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5 Annual Sports Awards (RASA).
The AUSC Region 5 this week unveiled the top three finalists in each category ahead of the awards ceremony scheduled for 23 May 2026 in Luanda, Angola.
The absence of Basotho nominees means the country will not be represented in any of the individual categories at the regional awards ceremony, which recognises outstanding sporting achievements across Southern Africa.
The awards celebrate excellence across various sporting codes, honouring athletes, coaches, administrators and sports journalists who have excelled over the past year.
To qualify for the RASA awards, athletes, coaches, administrators and sports journalists first compete in the Lesotho Annual Sports Awards (LASA). Winners at national level are then considered for regional recognition through RASA.
This marks the second consecutive year Lesotho has failed to produce a nominee. The country’s last success came in 2024 when taekwondo star Michelle Tau won the RASA Sportswoman of the Year award.
Lesotho Sports and Recreation Commission (LSRC) public relations officer, Jobo Raswoko, said the country’s continued failure to secure nominations was largely due to the lack of international exposure for local athletes.
He said while Lesotho has talented athletes who perform well locally and regionally, many lack opportunities to compete at continental and global events unlike athletes from other countries in the region.
“In terms of competitions, we are still looking at athletes who won at national level, but most of them only competed at regional level while their counterparts from other countries competed at world stage events. Hence, we did not make it into the nominees,” Raswoko told the Lesotho Times yesterday.
He attributed the situation mainly to limited financial resources, which continue to hamper the country’s ability to send athletes to major international competitions.
“On why we do not send athletes to high-profile world or continental events is because of restricted financial abilities,” he said.
“However, we also have to build our competitiveness capacity. We have to make sure that we send competent representatives to international events.”
Meanwhile, current LSRC president, Baba Maleohane, has been appointed secretary of the AUSC Region 5 Governance, Audit and Ethics Commission.
The appointment was made during AUSC Region 5 technical and governance meetings held in Gaborone, Botswana, over the weekend.
The post Lesotho misses out on RASA nominations appeared first on Lesotho Times.
