Busang Obakeng, 29, dreamt of Olympic gold in the dusty fields of Stilfontein’s Khuma township and instead he built a national movement that supports young athletes from underserved communities. A junior athlete in long jump and triple jump, Busang earned Victor Ludorum honours and provincial colours. When he had to pause his studies, he found himself drawn to the promise of forex trading. But disillusioned by the rat race, he returned to his dream. He completed his diploma in sports sciences at North-West University. In 2019, he founded Athletes In Need, an NPO to provide under-resourced athletes with coaching, mentorship and gear. It was recognised as one of the Top 100 NPOs in the country by the National Youth Development Agency and won Best Community Sport Developer at the North West Sports Awards. In parallel, he launched Sportistic, a proudly South African sportswear brand making performance gear affordable for athletes with big dreams and small budgets. Busang serves as a support services officer at the North West Academy of Sport, helping athletes succeed on the global stage. With over 350 jobs created, 15 bursaries enabled, and a recent ambassadorial visit to Sweden, Busang is a true changemaker.
Malcolm X — because while everyone else viewed the world as blue, he chose to view it as green. He stood up when the world forced people to sit down for their own civil rights. I look up to him particularly in the context of challenging the norms in sports and athletes’ dreams, and in how people view sports and the opportunities that come from being dedicated to a sports career.