The World Athletics Council confirmed the hosts for three World Athletics Series events and made a series of other decisions during the 237th World Athletics Council Meeting in Nanjing, China, on March 24-25.
The World Athletics Council has awarded the 2026 World Athletics Relays to Gaborone in Botswana ( May 2-3, 2026) and the 2028 World Athletics Relays to Nassau in the Bahamas (April 22-23, 2028).
The 2026 World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships will be staged in Brasília in Brazil (April 12, 2026).
“I am delighted that Botswana’s commitment to athletics, both through their elite athletes and their event hosting capabilities, has led them to hosting the World Athletics Relays next year,” said World Athletics President Sebastian Coe.
“This is the fourth World Championship event Africa has staged over the last decade, in addition to the Diamond League and Continental Tour Gold events, and we are seeing a real increase in experience, expertise and skills. We are determined to support Member Federations in their ambitions to grow through hosting our events. Both the Bahamas and Brazil have hosted events in the past and their talented athletes will, I know, generate local and international excitement.”
The World Athletics Relays in Gaborone will see Botswana host a World Athletics Series event for the first time.
The country’s capital city held a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting for the first time in 2023 and this year’s Botswana Golden Grand Prix, taking place in Gaborone on April 12, will also be a Gold-level meeting.
Jacob Kelebeng, Minister of Sport and Arts, said: “This is a moment of immense pride for Botswana. The World Athletics Relays Gaborone 26 will ignite a national passion, drawing the world to our shores and showcasing our unique spirit. We humbly welcome athletes and fans alike, knowing that this event will inspire generations and leave a lasting legacy of triumph and unity.”
The World Athletics Relays will return to Nassau for the fifth time in 2028, following the city’s hosting of the event in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2024. – worldathletics.com/Sports Reporter.
Addis Ababa, — Botswanan Minister of Sport and Arts Jacob Kelebeng expressed his delight over Botswana’s having been awarded the hosting rights for the 2026 World Athletics Relays.
Global athletics body – World Athletics- has confirmed that the African nation–Botswana will host the 2026 World Athletics Relays, scheduled to take place on 2-3 May 2026.
“We have done it,” Kelebeng wrote on his social media account, congratulating the Botswana Athletics Association (BAA) for the milestone.
This will be the first time for Botswana to host a senior world event in any sport and the first time the World Athletics relays to be hosted in Africa.
The good news was announced by World Athletics president Sebastian Coe earlier Tuesday at the end of the two-day council meeting in Nanjing, China.
The event is scheduled to be hosted in Gaborone, capital of Botswana, on May 2 to May 3, according to the World Athletics press release.
The hosting of the world event marks a big milestone in Botswana’s ascendance to the top in athletics and coincides with the country’s 60th Independence celebrations in 2026.
Botswana’s men 4x400m relay team is a force to reckon in the event. They are the reigning world relays champions having won gold at the 2024 event held in the Bahamas before wrapping up their season with an Olympic silver medal. The team has three world relay medals including a bronze, a silver and gold.
Moreover, the Botswana team has already started preparations to defend their gold at the upcoming 2025 World Athletics Relays to be held in Guangzhou, China in May this year. Reigning Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo is expected to be remain part of the team.
Nairobi — World 100m silver medalist Letsile Tebogo says this weekend’s Kip Keino Classic was not the right time for him to compete in the men’s 100m.
The Botswana speedster said the season has just started, adding that there will be opportunities for him to run in the race in the lead-up to the Paris Olympics.
“The season is too long…it is still too early to engage in the 100m that’s why we opted for the 200metres. Last time I competed here in the 200m was in 2021 and now we are here to do it again,” the youngster said.
Had he opted to run in the men’s 100m, the world under 20 100m champion would have been part of a three-way battle also featuring Commonwealth Games 100m champion – and home crowd favourite – Ferdinand Omanyala as well as Olympics 200m silver medalist Kenneth Bednarek.
However, Tebogo will be lining up for the men’s 200m where he will come up against an equally elite competitors including the 2022 World Relay 4x100m champion Brendon Rodney of Canada, African Games 200m silver medalist Claude Emmanuel Itoungue of Cameroon, the 2018 Commonwealth Games 100m silver medalist Henricho Bruintjies of South Africa as well as the United States pair of Courtney Lindsey and Corian Camel.
The world 200m bronze medalist reveals he does not have any targets for Saturday’s one-day meet.
“We don’t have a target yet…I don’t know what the others have been doing behind the scenes but we will put up a great show on Saturday,” he said.
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Nairobi holds a special place in the youngster’s heart considering it was at the Moi International Sports Centre Kasarani where he won his first career medal — gold in the men’s 100m at the World Under 20 Championships in 2021.
He also clinched silver in the men’s 200m at the same competition.
Tebogo went on to defend his world title at the next edition in Cali, Colombia in 2022 where he clocked a world under 20 record of 9.88.
Despite his rapid rise to the top of the sprints world, Tebogo is quick to brush it all away, insisting that the future is more important.
“We don’t want to focus on the past because if we do that, we will never be able to progress to the future. The silver medals may seem like I am a favourite going into Saturday but we are trying a new strategy,” he said.
Tebogo arrived in the country at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), accompanied by his coach Kebonyemodisa Dose Mosimanyane.
Gaborone — Masiela Trust Fund is set to launch the Bonang Bana half marathon at a gala dinner Saturday.
The marathon is expected to be held on July 7 next year and promises to be an exciting and impactful event that would see participants from all walks of life, including professional athletes, running enthusiasts and community members coming together to make a difference in the lives of orphans and underprivileged children.
Briefing the media recently, Masiela Trust Fund executive director, Magogodi Dabutha said the organisation’s mandate was to provide essential support and care for orphans and vulnerable children in the community.
She added that the organisation also provided crucial resources such as education, healthcare, shelter and emotional support to children who had lost their parents or in vulnerable situations.
“I encourage Batswana to give a helping hand wherever they can in supporting these children just as one designer who volunteered to design a dress that will be auctioned at the gala dinner for the benefit of these children in need,” she said.
Dathuba said the organisation operated under three pillars, which included the right to citizenship, education as well as child protection and she therefore called for partnerships and sponsors who could help in the long run to sustain the children until they were stable enough to provide for themselves.
For his part, Golden Door Sports Agency founder, Glody Dube said they were yet to announce further details on the Bonang Bana half marathon set to take place next year.
“We are going to give first priority to Batswana athletes who will take part in the marathon and as it is we are calling for monetary donations and sponsorships for the success of the event,” Dube said.
Meanwhile, tickets for the gala dinner to be held on November 2 are sold at P10 000 for 10 people and P1 000 for individuals.
Gaborone — Botswana Athletics Association (BAA) ordinary assembly meeting, which was scheduled to take place on Saturday, hit a snag because it did not form a quorum.
Only 16 out of 25 clubs were present and the BAA constitution dictates that two thirds should be in attendance to form a quorum.
The failure to meet a quorum come hardly six months after the federation’s elective general assembly where it was a full house, as all 25 clubs attended.
The BAA vice president, Oabona Theetso, said they were worried that even clubs that were based in Gaborone failed to attend.
The clubs, he said, did not even send apologies despite the fact that a notice of the ordinary general assembly was shared with them.
“On record, the clubs that did not attend are Sportview, BDF Athletics Club, Lobatse, Tlokweng, Gaborone Runners Club, Matshelagabedi, Mmadinare and the University of Botswana,” he said.
Theetso said as the leadership, they wanted to take track and field in the country to greater heights, and they could only do that with the help of their affiliates.
He said if affiliates did not attend the meeting where the future of track and field was discussed, then it was worrisome.
“But at a personal level, I think it is election hang over because you would not expect people not to come for OGM and fail to communicate.
Other clubs came from as far as Selebi-Phikwe and Francistown, whereas clubs like UB failed to attend; that is unacceptable,” he said.
Furthermore, he said organising an OGM had cost implications, adding that it would not be business as usual given that they had delegated regional chairperson’s to find as to why the clubs did not attend and failed to communicate.
He said the main objective of the OGM was to give their affiliates an update of their federation, adding that it was also a constitutional requirement to host such meetings.
“It is also used to update the affiliates on what the federation had achieved and to give them forecast for the coming season,” he said.
Meanwhile, according to the BAA constitution, there shall be an Ordinary General Meeting of members of the Association, which shall be held in October of every calendar year.
“Blow after blow after blow”, sighed the Ajax supporters’ association on its website, after Sunday’s “painful” 5-2 defeat to rivals PSV Eindhoven condemned the four-time European Champions to a historic bottom place in the Dutch top flight.
So, how has the Dutch giant that produced the likes of Johan Cruyff, Marco Van Basten and Dennis Bergkamp, stooped so low and can they salvage anything from their worst-ever season so far?
Historically bad. Ajax have just five points from eight Eredivisie games, losing their last five straight matches. A 4-0 home “Klassieker” defeat to Feyenoord, interrupted after crowd violence from Ajax fans, was a particular low point.
Ajax are also struggling in Europe, without a win in the group stage of the Europa League. A toothless 2-0 loss against European debutants Brighton midweek did little to dispel the gloom — Ajax had one shot on target and one third of possession.
The Dutch media are not mincing their words.
The Algemeen Dagblad said: “This is news in Niger and Botswana. Ajax’s league position. Eighteenth. And last. Not after a couple of games in August. But at the end of October.”
“As a snapshot in time, it’s so unique we’ll still be talking about it in 30 years. If Andere Tijden Sport (a historical sports show) still exists in 2053, they’ll devote an episode to it.”
Ajax are floundering in all competitions. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
THE TRANSFER DEALING THAT PLUNGED GIANTS INTO CHAOS
Many pundits lay the blame on several seasons of bad transfer dealings. Ajax has traditionally sold off homegrown talent for big profits but the recent turnover has been especially high and the replacements have misfired.
This summer, Ajax sold Dutch international defender Jurrien Timber to Premier League giants Arsenal for 42 million euros ($44m), plus Mexican midfielder Edson Alvarez and Ghana’s Mohammed Kudus to West Ham for 38 million euros and 43 million euros respectively.
The year before, the Amsterdam club sold Argentine star Lisandro Martinez and Brazilian winger Antony to Manchester United.
None of the starting XI from Ajax’s recent highlight — a 2019 Champions League semi-final — are still at the club.
“Yet more players left. European clubs ravaged the carcass. The new arrivals were poorly scouted and randomly assembled,” said Dutch football pundit Michael Statham.
Edson Alvarez was one of several players who left Ajax in the summer. (Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
FORMER A-LEAGUE DUO BROUGHT IN TO SAVE CLUB
The revolving door on the pitch has been reflected in the management and backroom staff as well, resulting in a damaging lack of stability.
Maurice Steijn was sacked earlier this month, paying the price for the team’s shocking run of form.
Former Ajax player John van’t Schip was named interim boss on Monday to steady the ship, with former Adelaide United defender and one-time Socceroo Michael Valkanis joining as his assistant.
Van’t Schip also has an A-League background himself.
The 59-year-old was Melbourne Heart’s (now Melbourne City) inaugural coach beginning in the 2010/11 season before leaving at the end of the following campaign.
He later returned in December 2013 and remained until January 2017 as he departed to care for his terminally-ill father in the Netherlands.
Powerful technical director Sven Mislintat, who was behind much of Ajax’s recent transfer activity, was also sacked in September. He is under investigation over a potential conflict of interest And fans’ frustration has been boiling over, with Ajax hooligans trashing their own stadium and causing the postponement of the Dutch “Klassieker” with Feyenoord by hurling objects onto the pitch.
John van’t Schip enjoyed two stints as a manager in the A-League. (Photo by Ashley Feder/Getty Images)Source: FOX SPORTS
FINANCIAL BLOWS KEEP COMING
Already suffering from loss of income due to a lack of Champions League football, the club is set to take another financial hit in the future as the prospect of any European football next season seems remote.
Local station RTL Nieuws reported this month that the club could face a deficit running into the “tens of millions” and was in talks to open a credit line for the first time in its history.
CAN AJAX RECOVER IN TIME TO AVOID UNTHINKABLE?
Hedwiges Maduro, who was in charge for Sunday’s defeat, said he “wasn’t looking at the league table”, leading the Ajax supporters’ association match report to quip “but the rest of the Netherlands is”.
The Ajax faithful are pinning their hopes on former boss Louis van Gaal, who has rejoined the club in an advisory role.
And optimists point to the fact that Ajax have two games in hand over second-bottom club Utrecht and have already played most of the big guns, notably Feyenoord and PSV.
Most pundits think Ajax will finish the season in the top half of the table. Relegation is unthinkable.
But even talking in these terms is extraordinary for one of the world’s best-known clubs with a record 36 Dutch titles.
“What a fall from grace. Embarrassing. And anyone who’s not an Ajax fan in the Netherlands loves it,” said Statham.
Gaborone — Former national team 400m star, Onkabetse Nkobolo will enjoy a stipend of P2 000 monthly for a period of 12 months, courtesy of Orapa athletics cubs through its annual flagship event, Orapa Half Marathon.
Speaking at the launch of the Orapa Half Marathon in Gaborone on Monday, Assistant Minister of Trade and Industry, Beauty Manake said the monthly stipend would go towards engaging a caretaker for the former athlete, who is wheelchair-bound after a car accident in 2019.
She indicated that additional work of benevolence by the club included the current housing of 17 young and upcoming athletes in the Boteti region who needed financial support, and that through the proceeds from the marathon, the club has committed five per cent of the project profit for this course.
“Likewise, the business community should see the value of this project and be encouraged to support such initiatives. To offer themselves up to donate to and sponsor such events and identify promising athletes that may be unearthed as a result,” she said.
Manake also said the marathon would come in handy in ensuring that Boteti region continued to unearth talent and continuously support the increasing participation of both the young and adult in sports.
“The region has produced some of the country’s best sportsmen and women such as Nigel Amos and Baboloki Thebe who are products of Orapa Athletics Club. This event is paramount in unearthing hidden talents that have by far not been cultivated due to lack of such programs,” she said.
Manake also encouraged the business community to take advantage of events such as the Orapa Half Marathon to boost their image and grow their businesses.
On the event itself, Manake said that it would not only sell Boteti west region as a sports tourism destination of choice, but also benefit the region in line with health and wellness goals that would boost its economic state.
Manake also hailed the organisers for their build-up activities, indicating that such would benefit the community economically prior to the main event.
Still at the event, Manake also announced that former IAAF champion and Olympian, Amantle Montsho was made the brand ambassador of this year’s event alongside former soccer star, Diphetogo Selolwane.
The marathon will be held in Orapa on November 25 at Itekeng Stadium.
Gaborone — After being denied by a muscle injury to make it to the World Athletics Championships finals, Botswana’s 400 metres runner, Bayapo Ndori is hoping for a better and injury-free season.
Ndori’s injury, which he sustained while on top form, also dented the country’s hope of winning a 4x400m relay medal at the World Championships.
“So had it not been for the injury, the World Championships medal was inevitable.
I think I was very confident at this year’s edition,” he said in an interview.
He added that his target was to get medals at the World Chmapionships both in relay and individual races.
Ndori, who had also qualified for the Diamond League finals recently and opted not to participate and nurse injury, said although it was a muscle tension, he did not want to aggravate it given that he would be having a busy schedule next season.
He said he had a good season until he sustained the injury.
The quarter miller said he was hoping for a better coming season, adding that there would be no Christmas festivities for him, as he would be starting his season in November to prepare for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
He said there were many activities lined up for next season adding that they were yet to decide which events they would participcate in.
Furthermore, he said his Olympic target was a podium finish, adding that it would be his first individual Olympics.
“But I believe we will not be competing in a lot of activities because we are eyeing an Olympic medal.
We need two or three races to check if the body will be responding,” he said.
Ramotswa — Sesebo Matlapeng and Kitsiso Joseph are winners of Thuto Boswa charity half marathon for men and women categories respectively.
The half marathon was held in Ramotswa on Saturday to raise funds for Thuto Boswa Rehabilitation Centre for the Disabled.
The duo, who used the 21km race to prepare for the upcoming major marathon events, walked away with P5 000 each.
Matlapeng, renowned marathon runner from Lefika Athletics Club, said in an interview that he was happy for his win although there was no stiff competition.
He also said he used the marathon to prepare for Orapa marathon billed for November. Matlapeng has participated in more than 10 marathons since the beginning of this year.
Joseph, a member of the BDF Athletics Club, said she enjoyed the marathon and she used the race to prepare for the University of Botswana marathon scheduled for Gaborone on Sunday.
The duo urged young people to actively engage in sporting activities to avoid getting involved in substance abuse as well as to keep fit and earn a living.
Kgosi Tsimane Mokgosi said the marathon had attracted large number of participants although Ramotswa hosted for the first time.
He also appreciated that the event organisers catered for people living with disabilities, the elderly and children.
In addition, he said sport could help minimise social ills, adding ‘sport is the future’.
For his part Ramotswa District Council chairperson, Zaahid Jalal, said the event was an eye opener, adding the event should be looked at on a bigger perspective given the many opportunities it could bring.
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He said sporting facilities were not available at community level although sport was taking centre stage as evidenced by a bid for AFCON.
Ramotswa Athletics Club chairperson, Herold Mosomane, said his club in partnership with Botswana Athletics Association organised a half marathon charity event with the intention to raise funds for Thuto Boswa rehabilitation centre.
He said over 500 participants registered to take part in the 21km, 10km and fun run marathon of 5km. Among the participants, were marathon runners from as far as Kenya, South Africa and other neighbouring countries.
The winners walked away with P5000 first prize, P3000 second and P1000 third prize.
Gaborone — To ignite a passion for athletics and bridge the sporting gap in northern Botswana, former athlete has organised the inaugural Marobela Mini Marathon set for Saturday.
Gerald Bashingi, the event organiser, said in an interview that the race would be different from the traditional marathon spanning 42.2km.
Instead, he said the race would be in two categories; the 10km and three km.
He said the three-kilometre race would feature categories for adults, junior secondary school learners and individuals with disabilities.
In the 10-kilometre race, participants would compete in categories ranging from senior men, senior women, junior men, junior women or masters ranging from four years upwards.
He said they were expecting about 250 participants.
He further said the event did not have a corporate sponsor adding that they had received in-kind contributions and pledges from local businesses and individuals.
“We are working with the resources we have. Our primary goal is to generate interest in athletics and possibly contribute to charity, although that will depend on our final budget,” he said.
“We intend to establish a certified route and aim to bring our marathon under the World Athletic Scope.
We want to keep the event accessible and engaging for our community while showcasing the region’s athletic talent.”
