- Ranked second in Africa, Team Botswana enters a 24-team continental field in Alexandria with its sights set on the World Championships and LA28
TLOTLO KEBINAKGABO
Botswana’s beach volleyball team has arrived in the continental qualification race in Egypt, where Africa’s road to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics begins at the 2026 CAVB Beach Volleyball Continental Senior Championships.
The tournament is being held in Alexandria from August 17 to 23, with Botswana among 24 teams listed in the men’s competition. The field includes hosts Egypt, Morocco, Mozambique, Togo, Benin, The Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Tunisia, Algeria, Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Niger, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Burundi, Kenya, Angola, Mauritius and Comoros.
Botswana’s team consists of George Chiswaniso and Jack Sekao, coached by Agisanang Kurwana.
According to Botswana Beach Volleyball vice president Pugiso Osupile, Botswana qualified for the competition through rankings after the team was placed second in Africa.
“To qualify for the competition, they were using rankings. Our team was ranked number two in Africa, hence they qualified for the championships,” Osupile said in an interview as the team left for Egypt.
Namibia Preparation
Botswana’s preparations included participation in the Zone 6 CAVB Leg 4 Beach Tour in Namibia, which Osupile described as part of the build-up to the Egyptian tournament.
“Preparations are going well. We just arrived from Namibia from the Zone 6 CAVB Leg 4 Beach Tour, which was a way to prepare for the tournament,” he said.
The team enters the competition with an ambition that extends beyond the continental championship.
“Our ambition and target is for our team to qualify for the Olympics,” Osupile said.
He also pointed to Botswana’s previous achievement at the Africa Games, where the team became the first Botswana side to win a medal, as a platform for its international ambitions.
“We want to continue from there and conquer the world,” he said.
Top Four Target
The immediate objective is to secure a place at the World Championships. Osupile said Botswana must either win the championships or finish among the top four to advance.
“We are eager to fight with the other teams. It won’t be the first time we meet them,” he said.
The team’s preparations have also been affected by visa problems, with Osupile saying Botswana was expected to arrive at the tournament on the day competition starts.
Despite the logistical challenge, he said the team remained on track.
With Africa’s road to LA28 beginning in Alexandria, Botswana now faces a continental field that includes some of the region’s leading beach volleyball nations, with a World Championships place and a longer-term Olympic ambition at stake.