Addis Ababa, — Botswanan Minister of Sport and Arts Jacob Kelebeng expressed his delight over Botswana’s having been awarded the internet hosting rights for the 2026 World Athletics Relays.
World athletics physique – World Athletics- has confirmed that the African nation–Botswana will host the 2026 World Athletics Relays, scheduled to happen on 2-3 Might 2026.
“We have now carried out it,” Kelebeng wrote on his social media account, congratulating the Botswana Athletics Affiliation (BAA) for the milestone.
This would be the first time for Botswana to host a senior world occasion in any sport and the primary time the World Athletics relays to be hosted in Africa.
The excellent news was introduced by World Athletics president Sebastian Coe earlier Tuesday on the finish of the two-day council assembly in Nanjing, China.
The occasion is scheduled to be hosted in Gaborone, capital of Botswana, on Might 2 to Might 3, in accordance with the World Athletics press launch.
The internet hosting of the world occasion marks a giant milestone in Botswana’s ascendance to the highest in athletics and coincides with the nation’s sixtieth Independence celebrations in 2026.
Botswana’s males 4x400m relay workforce is a drive to reckon within the occasion. They’re the reigning world relays champions having received gold on the 2024 occasion held within the Bahamas earlier than wrapping up their season with an Olympic silver medal. The workforce has three world relay medals together with a bronze, a silver and gold.
Furthermore, the Botswana workforce has already began preparations to defend their gold on the upcoming 2025 World Athletics Relays to be held in Guangzhou, China in Might this yr. Reigning Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo is predicted to be stay a part of the workforce.