17 Jan 2023

 Botswana Athletics Association (BAA) intends to send a strong team to the World Athletics Championships billed for Budapest, Hungary August 19-27.

So far only Letsile Tebogo has qualified for the championships in both 100 and 200 metre races.

He registered impressive times at the World Junior Championships in Cali last year.

However, BAA vice president, Oabona Theetso, said in an interview that his association had lined up events that would enable athletes to qualify for the championships.

He said expectations were that clubs would continue to hosts events, adding that was the only solution to keep athletes active and eventually help them to qualify.

Also, he said the intention was to help women to qualify, given that in the last edition none of them managed to make the cut.

“We were very worried, and this season it is our desire to go back to the drawing board, help our women to qualify in individual events and we also want our mixed relay to qualify because, I think we can do better in that event,” he said.

In other issues, the VP said 2023 was a busy year for BAA.

He said the 2023 World Athletics Cross Country Championships will be held next month in Australia where they intend to send some athletes.

“I think you have realised that we have been starting our cross country in January, but this time we started early, remember there was a cross country series in Gaborone, hosted by Gaborone Runners Club and the other one in Selebi Phikwe under the organising of New Vision Athletics Club,” he said.

Furthermore, Theetso said the competition was deliberately held in December to allow athletes to compete while there was still time, adding that in January they hosted events in Serowe and Kopong.

“Also remember that for an athlete to qualify for our National Cross Country, she/he should have competed in three series, so in that regard our intention is that by January 29 will be hosting our cross country finals,” he said.

Theetso said that would give them two weeks to then prepare the team that would then compete at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships . ENDS