BAA chief Mabua Mabua says lessons from the World Relays and existing infrastructure will help Botswana stage the 25th African Senior Athletics Championships with confidence
GAZETTE REPORTER
Botswana has confirmed that it will host the 25th African Senior Athletics Championships in 2028, with Botswana Athletics Association chief executive officer Mabua Mabua expressing confidence in the country’s readiness to stage the continental event.
Speaking from Accra, Ghana, Mabua said Botswana’s confirmation came during a Confederation of African Athletics meeting held on Monday.
“Look we are happy that we are going to host this,” Mabua said. “Remember we were given rights to host this in 2024 when we initially wanted to host this year which is 2026, so Ghana was given this year during that time and we were told that we would take 2028.”
He added: “So during the Confederation of African Athletics meeting on Monday here in Ghana we were just asked to confirm if we are hosting in 2028 which we did.”
Lessons Learned
Mabua said the experience gained from hosting the recent World Relays would make preparations for the championships easier.
He said infrastructure was already in place and that the association had learned valuable lessons on organising a successful international competition.
“It should also be noted that hosting is beneficial,” he said. “It gives us an opportunity to field a larger team which means we will be able to develop even more athletes and give them a chance to compete at continental level.”
“We all know that there are other economical benefits for the country that comes with hosting,” he added.
Mabua also said the Confederation of African Athletics had shown confidence in Botswana’s ability to host more events following the World Relays.
Team Expectations
Meanwhile, Mabua said he expected Botswana’s team currently competing at the African Senior Athletics Championships to perform strongly as athletes seek places in the national team for the Commonwealth Games later this year.
The championships, organised by the Confederation of African Athletics, serve as one of the continent’s major track and field competitions for elite athletes.