Botswana’s athletics profile continues its swift ascent with the FNBB Golden Grand Prix now ranked fourth worldwide among World Athletics Continental Tour meetings. The latest accolade follows a successful edition of the meet held on April 26 at Gaborone’s National Stadium.
The event earned an impressive 83,990 points in the recent World Athletics rankings, placing it among the top-tier continental tour competitions globally. This evaluation came after World Athletics reviewed nearly 468 meets across various regions.
Glody Dube, founder of Golden Sports Agency, described the achievement as a significant milestone for Botswana’s athletics community and proof of the country’s capability to stage world-class events.
“Currently we are ranked number two in Africa after the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi, Kenya. It is all thanks to how we organised the recent FNBB Golden Grand Prix which was held a week before the Debswana World Athletics Relays Gaborone 2026,” Dube said.
He revealed that officials from World Athletics were highly impressed by the overall event management, the athlete experience, and the organizational standards demonstrated during the competition.
Though officially classified as a Silver category meet, World Athletics representatives noted that the organization and execution reached Gold level standards.
“The feedback we received from World Athletics was very positive. They were happy with how we organised and handled the event. Even though it was a Silver status competition, they felt the standard of delivery was equivalent to a Gold level event,” Dube explained.
Looking ahead, Dube noted that World Athletics has expressed an intention to restore his personal Gold status recognition as a meet organizer, a move that would further elevate Botswana’s standing on the international athletics stage.
“World Athletics would like to grant us the Gold status back, but there are still a few issues we need to ratify with our partners before that process can be completed,” he added.
One key requirement involves government guarantees tied to hosting Gold status events. World Athletics demands assurances that if private organizers fail to secure sufficient funding or prize money, the government will intervene to ensure the event proceeds smoothly.
“World Athletics wants letters of guarantee because they need assurance that if organisers fail to secure enough funding, the government will support the event and ensure it is staged successfully,” Dube said.
He acknowledged the significant financial challenge involved in hosting a Gold level competition, especially given the high prize money thresholds. Gold category meets require roughly P2.5 million in total prize payouts, compared to P1.5 million for Silver events. Bronze level meetings require about US$35,000.
“It is very expensive to stage a Gold event because the prize money requirements are very high. That is one of the biggest challenges organisers face,” he noted.
Over the years, the FNBB Golden Grand Prix has expanded considerably, attracting elite international athletes drawn by Botswana’s fast track and growing reputation for quality meets. This year’s event featured several international stars and served as a key preparatory competition ahead of the Debswana World Athletics Relays held a week later in Gaborone.
The upgraded track at Botswana’s National Stadium has garnered global attention, producing world-leading performances and record-breaking times during both the Golden Grand Prix and the World Relays.
Meanwhile, World Athletics continues refining its global rankings system, which evaluates athletes and competitions based on performance and event standards worldwide. Athletes accumulate points from results and finishing positions, weighted by competition level and category. Rankings are then calculated from averages over a defined number of competitions within a ranking period.
The system was developed in partnership with Elite Ltd (All-Athletics), founded by noted athletics statistician Dr. Bojidar Spiriev, who introduced rankings in 1979. It processes over one million results annually from more than 10,000 competitions, tracking over 70,000 athletes weekly, from elite to club level, making it one of the most comprehensive performance databases in the sport.
Starting January 1, 2026, World Athletics implemented changes reducing placing scores by roughly 30 percent across all events and categories. These revisions are now fully reflected in the current world rankings.