“Everything is safe here,” the man from the World Athletics summed up before rattling off more virtues that tipped the scales in favour of the nation, among them Botswana’s positive global image and time zone alignment with Europe
TLOTLO KEBINAKGABO
For the first time in history, Botswana will host one of the most prestigious track and field events on the planet – the 2026 World Athletics Relays.
The World Athletics Council has confirmed that Gaborone will stage the championships on 2 and 3 May 2026, marking a significant milestone not only for the southern African nation but for the continent at large.
During the FNB Botswana Golden Grand Prix in the capital city over the weekend, a representative of World Athletics, Robert Wagner, outlined the reasoning behind the decision to award Botswana the hosting rights. Speaking in a side interview, Wagner emphasised that Africa deserves a seat at the global table.
“Perfect location”
“There are so many good athletes coming from Africa, so Africa needs a global championship,” he said. “Botswana is the perfect location. It’s a clean, safe and trustworthy country – and that matters for an event of this magnitude.”
Wagner also highlighted the strategic advantage of Botswana’s location, noting that the time zone alignment with Europe will ensure maximum global viewership. “The time between Botswana and Europe is zero,” he noted. “This is a global event, which means more people have to be able to watch it live.”
“That’s why the World Relays are here”
Significantly, he stated that Botswana’s positive global image helped tip the scales in its favour. “Botswana is not out there in the news for negative things,” said Wagner. “Some countries are not like this – trust me. Everything is safe here. That’s why the World Relays are here.”
The 2026 World Relays will be preceded by the Golden Grand Prix, serving as a strategic warm-up. The plan is for 100m and 400m athletes to stay in Botswana between the events, optimising logistics and reducing costs.
“That will save them a lot of money, and we’ll be able to use the same equipment and infrastructure for both events,” Wagner pointed out.
New crop to emerge
Looking ahead, Wagner sees even greater potential for Botswana’s athletics scene. “There’s so much talent in the rural areas,” he asserted “What’s needed is the right structure to find and develop it. Botswana has good coaches; they just need to be centralised to support more athletes.”
Referencing rising the nation’s wing-footed athlete, Letsile Tebogo, Wagner predicted a new wave of local success stories. “We are going to see more Letsile Tebogos in the coming years, and not just in the 400m,” he said. “There’s a crop of promising 800m athletes coming up too.”