Negotiations to secure Botswana’s most celebrated athletics star, Letsile Tebogo, for the highly anticipated FNB Botswana Golden Grand Prix have brought to light a widening gap between the market value commanded by world-class athletes and the financial realities faced by local sporting event organizers. This publication has learned exclusively that Tebogo’s management team is demanding a substantial appearance fee of P850,000 for his participation in the event scheduled for April 26 at the National Stadium...

Botswana’s sprinting prodigy, Letsile Tebogo, along with the 200m Olympic champion, is back on track for a timely comeback after a brief injury scare threatened to steal the thunder from two of the nation’s marquee athletics events.  The soon-to-be 23-year-old speedster is poised to recover in time for the FNB Botswana Golden Grand Prix on April 26, followed swiftly by the Debswana World Athletics Relays on May 2–3 in Gaborone. His return is a shot...

The winds of excitement are sweeping through Gaborone as the city prepares to host one of Africa’s most electrifying sporting events this April: the Botswana Grand Prix. This year’s edition promises to be unlike any before it, with a constellation of some of the world’s most elite athletes converging on the National Stadium. The stakes are high, the competition fierce, and the atmosphere is charged with anticipation. For a country that has steadily risen in...

Sport in Africa must transcend its traditional role as mere recreation and be embraced as a powerful engine for economic development, employment, and sustainable progress, argues Rachel Mothibatsela. Addressing the African Union Sports Council Region 5 Strategy Review Forum, Mothibatsela, Debswana’s Head of Sustainability and Social Impact, urged policymakers, sports administrators, and corporate stakeholders to reconsider the place of sport within national economies. “Sport is already a global industry generating over US$2.3 trillion annually, with...

The Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC) has announced it requires approximately P16 million to fully finance Team Botswana’s participation in the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, as preparations accelerate amid a significant funding shortfall. BNOC Chief Executive Officer Dorothy Tlagae-Gaseitsiwe disclosed this week that despite securing government and international support, the total resources raised remain well below the committee’s projected budget. Tlagae-Gaseitsiwe detailed that the Ministry of Sports and Arts (MOSA) has provided P2...

As Gaborone prepares to host the World Athletics Relays, the focus extends beyond the readiness of the city’s infrastructure to how it presents itself on the global stage. For Botswana, the first African nation to host this prestigious event, the stakes are high, not just in terms of logistics but in crafting a compelling city-wide brand that captures attention and fuels participation. Strategic branding across the city is emerging as a vital element in the...

The much-hyped 4x400m clash between Botswana and the United States at the upcoming World Athletics Relays has hit an unexpected snag. The Americans have officially pulled out of both the men’s and women’s 4x400m events, delivering a major blow to what promised to be one of track and field’s most electrifying rivalries. Slated for May 2–3 at Botswana’s National Stadium, the global relay extravaganza was set to showcase a thrilling duel between two sprinting powerhouses....