15 Feb 2023

Some top athletes are expected to compete at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix (BGGP) Continental Tour Gold – 2023 scheduled for the National Stadium April 29.

Jamaican Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce, Canadian Andre De Grasse, USA’s Vernon Norwood, Paul Dedewo, Clayton Murphy are some of the athletes expected to take Gaborone by storm.

Speaking at a press briefing in Gaborone on Tuesday, the local organising committee’s, Barulaganye Mogotsi said as part of the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold series, the BGGP meet would offer a total of more than P2.3 million in prize money plus higher world ranking points, which assist athletes  to qualify for World Championships and Olympic Games.

“It will be broadcast in over 150 countries. We have Supersport and Btv ready to show the event to the world,” he said.

Furthermore, Mogotsi said the meet would also further Botswana’s quest to become a summer training and competition venue for the world’s best athletes leading to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and beyond.

A number of initiatives, he said, would also be held by Botswana Athletics Association in line with the BGGP meet to enrich the sport.

“This may include training camps for senior athletes alongside international ones, crucial competition opportunities for the next wave of talent, as well as pathway opportunities for officials and volunteers and coach education fora,” he said.

Mogotsi said Botswana athletes have been shining on the world stage, therefore there was no better time than now to bring a gold level meet home, in conjunction with the Botswana government and local sport bodies (BNSC, BNOC, BAA & Golden Sports Door Agency).

For his part, Gaborone mayor, Austin Abraham, said hosting a gold status event resonated well with the government’s policy on development of sport.

He said President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi had on numerous occasions stated that Botswana aspired to host international events.

“It cannot be over-emphasised that events of this stature would go a long way in promoting sports tourism in Botswana. This is one of the aspirations espoused in Vision 2036 that as we transition from an upper middle income country to a high income country we do that in diversity,” he said.  ENDS