05 Mar 2025

The ambition of this country to host the 2026 World Athletics Relays is now gaining momentum following presentation of a bid by Botswana Athletics Association (BAA) yesterday.

BAA vice president Oabona Theetso said in an interview that they have presented a preliminary bid to World Athletics, adding that the second presentation would be done next week.

“Basically, this one was like a preamble to introduce ourselves, why we decided to bid, and why do we think we should win,” he said.

Theetso said the intention of BAA was to bring athletics to Africa, following the country’s good performance in the world of athletics events. He said the other objective was to host the relay was to promote sport tourism.

He expressed confidence about the effort they had done to demonstrate to the World Athletics delegation that Botswana had what it takes to deliver the relays. Should Botswana win the bid, he said it would be the first time in history that Africa was given the rights to host the relays.

Theetso said during the presentation, they touched all the critical areas such as security and safety for all who will be coming to Botswana for the relay. He said they took pride of the political stability and the peace and tranquility that existed in Botswana, therefore the security and safety of the people would be guaranteed.

Taking about the facilities, Theetso said they had two stadia, namely National Stadium and University of Botswana, which were close to each other. He said one of the health facilities; Sir Ketumile Masire Teaching Hospital was just a stone throw away from the stadiums.

The hospitality industry in Gaborone, he said, can accommodate both the athletes and the spectators. Theetso also said the last edition of Botswana Golden Grand Prix had demonstrated that Batswana had “fallen in love” with athletics given that they packed the National Stadium. ENDS