24 Sep 2024

Botswana’s good performance at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games has undoubtedly put the country on the map as top athletes now have an appetite to visit the country. 

Olympic silver medalist, Matthew Hudson-Smith from Great Britain and 4x400metres gold medalist, Vernon Norwood, have both declared their desire to visit Botswana as they have openly tweeted their desire to visit. 

This will not be the first time that top athletes have visited the shores of Botswana given that in 2023, USA’s Kenny Bednarek, Kyree King, Canadian Aron Brown, Andre De Grasse, Jerome Blake, Liberian Joseph Fahnbulleh and Dominican Republic sprinter Alexander Ogando competed in the FNB Botswana Golden Grand Prix. 

The Botswana Athletics Association (BAA) vice president, Oabona Theetso, said they are aware that most of the athletes have shown interest in coming to Botswana. 

“We will be happy to see them coming to our country, hence as the BAA we have submitted to host Africa Senior 2026, although it was given to Ghana,” he said. 

Theetso said they are still in talks with the World Athletics to give them a Gold Status so that they could host the Continental Tour next year. 

He said they had also submitted the bid to host the 2026 World Athletics Relays and they were currently waiting in anticipation for the World Athletics to make a determination and the winner will be announced in December. 

“If we can manage to host the Continental Tour and World Athletics Relays, surely we will experience an influx of athletes from across the world, and that would help to boost our economy,” he said. 

Meanwhile, the Botswana Golden Grand Prix, which had a potential to attract more athletes did not take place last year as planned. 

BAA president, Moses Bantsi, told the media recently in a press conference that the event is expected to take place next year under a new name. Ends