NATIONAL teams which have lined up international assignments have been given the green-light to resume training in preparation for such campaigns, the COVID-19 Sports Task Team has announced.

This, after the Minister of Gender, Youth Sports and Recreation Likeleli Tampane directed the Lesotho National Olympic Committee (LNOC) together with the Lesotho Sport and Recreation Commission (LSRC) to write to the National Coronavirus Secretariat (NACOSEC) to give the go-ahead a few weeks ago.

The task team consequently met last week Thursday to plan the way forward before making the announcement on Tuesday.

According to the team’s Information Officer Moshoeshoe Molapo, bodies like the Lesotho Football Association (LeFA) made a request earlier for the national team, Likuena start preparing for their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against Nigeria, Bennim and Sierra Leone set for later in March.

“We have requested that our national teams be given a chance to start preparing for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics Games as they are quite close. We also have the African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5 Games set for December, which we need to prepare for too,” Molapo showed.

He said after the Olympic Games, Lesotho has to send a team to compete at the Paralympic Games, adding that squad should also start preparing.

The government, he said has given the COVID-19 Sports Task Team a sum of M2 million to relieve athletes and officials who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

 “We are currently working on a strategy that will help disburse food parcels and cash to athletes and officials who lost their jobs due to the pandemic,” he also said.