- Organisers say preparations are 75 percent complete as the country positions the World Athletics Relays as an African qualifying gateway
TLOTLO KEBINAKGABO
Botswana is framing the upcoming World Athletics Relays, scheduled for May 2–3, as a continental opportunity, with organisers deliberately seeking to widen access for African nations hoping to qualify for the global event.
Speaking at a recent press conference, the World Athletics Relays Chief Executive Officer, Moses Bantsi, said the approach reflects a conscious effort to ensure that Africa benefits from hosting the competition.
“We are saying this is an African event,” Bantsi said. “We want to give other African countries an opportunity to qualify during the Lefika International Relays towards the end of March.”
The Lefika International Relays are intended to provide qualifying opportunities ahead of the main event, reinforcing Botswana’s ambition to make the meet more inclusive for African teams.
Structured Planning
Bantsi said preparations are being guided by a detailed and highly structured planning framework. According to him, the organising committee has developed 127 timelines spread across different operational sectors.
“We set ourselves timelines, about 127 of them, divided into each sector,” he said. “We also placed ourselves into four working phases.”
He explained that the first phase focused on planning, while the current phase centres on readiness.
“We had the planning phase, we are now in the readiness phase,” Bantsi said. “The third stage will be the event itself, and the last phase will be post-event evaluation. For each phase, we put timelines to it.”
Progress Update
Assessing overall progress, Bantsi said preparations are advancing, though some elements remain unfinished.
“How far are we with the preparation? We are at 75 percent,” he said.
Following the Lefika International Relays, organisers will stage a Grand Prix event five days before the World Relays. Bantsi described it as a full-scale test event designed to stress-test logistics.
“The Grand Prix will be kind of a test event,” he said. “It comes five days before the World Relays, and we will be hands-on in logistics, from the airport, to the hotel and so on.”
Stadium Concerns
Bantsi raised concerns about the readiness of the UB Stadium, noting that the facility falls outside the organisers’ direct control.
“As for stadium readiness, we are not the owners of the facility,” he said. “We were supposed to be handed a clean stadium by the end of December, and that did not happen.”
He added that a revised January timeline was also missed, but said discussions with stakeholders are ongoing to ensure readiness before the event.
Bantsi said ticketing details would be announced soon.
The World Athletics Relays will mark the first time the event is hosted in Botswana and on African soil.