Bantsi expresses concern over World Relays readiness
Calistus Kolantsho | Monday December 22, 2025 06:00
The international biennial track and field sporting event is scheduled for May 2-3, 2026, at the National Stadium. World Athletics Relays Gaborone 26 CEO, Moses Bantsi, said in an interview that with the big day coming, Gaborone, as the host and Diamond City, should be sparkling. He said in the build up to the event, roads must be maintained, streets clean, the water system functional, while the private sector coming to the party and playing its part.
The CEO noted that something must be done about the appearance of the capital city, adding it is unfortunate that there is a lack of understanding somewhere, even within high offices.
According to Bantsi, the idea of hosting relays came about as the Botswana Athletics Association (BAA) felt that athletics is at a highest level and can play an important role in the national economy.
“We approached the then Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development, Tumiso Rakgare, with the idea,” he explained.
“He (Rakgare) then asked us what we wanted to do, and we informed him that we could bid for the World Athletics Relays. He welcomed the idea.”
Bantsi revealed that the reasons for bidding were that Botswana was celebrating 60 years of independence, and since local athletes have been performing well in international competitions, they can now showcase that talent at home.
He added that another reason for bidding was that sport has historically been taken lightly, but now athletes earn a living through it.
Bantsi said sport can also have an impact on the economy and promote diamonds.
“The relays are going to leave a legacy, not infrastructure legacy, but grassroots development. The legacy is for all sports in general, not just athletics.
“We wanted to show the world that Botswana has the capacity to host world events at any level,” he told MmegiSport, adding they should prepare for the relays to a high standard.
When the World Athletics president, Lord Sebastian Coe, announced that Gaborone was going to host the relays, Bantsi said it was an emotional moment.
“I want to tell you one thing, the one that humbled me, during the final bid presented on March 4, where the bid committee and World Athletics Council members were there, the bid committee chairperson said he did not expect such a bid from an African country.
“That was an indication that we put all our efforts into that bid; there was no country that was going to beat us. We were bidding against countries such as the Netherlands. For me, it was one of the greatest moments of my life,” he explained.
Bantsi noted that the BAA team, which included Larona Koosimile, Amogelang Masalela, Pinkie Wilson, and Donald Steady, prepared the bid internally. (Watch the full interview on Mmegi social media platforms)
The budget for hosting the World Athletics Relays initially stood at P104 million, according to Bantsi.
However, it has since ballooned due to the renovation of the National Stadium and University of Botswana (UB) Stadium tracks, which cost government P32 million, making a total of P149 million.
Bantsi added the government also covered other areas, such as security, amongst others. He said they have also engaged the Gaborone City Council (GCC), especially in the areas of the environment.
“We have 18 Local Organising Committee (LOC) members with different functional areas. In total, we have 127 milestones that we should achieve.
“The first stage was planning, the second stage is readiness, and the final stage is delivery of the event, and then post-event. Soon you will see billboards around the city,” he said.
Bantsi said spectators would not be allowed to drive to the National Stadium, but rather park at Gaborone Secondary School (GSS) ground and other public parking spaces, where they will be ferried by buses.
He said there would be three pollution stations installed at UB, the National Stadium, and Sir Ketumile Masire Hospital.
“We are going to have events, being Lefika Relays on March 28, which will serve as a qualifier for African countries who were about to qualify. Qualification period for World Athletics Relays Gaborone 26 ends in the first week of April. The Botswana Golden Grand Prix, set for April 26, will also serve as a test event for the relays. The officials who will be officiating there are the ones who will be in charge of the relays.
“We want to take the event back to gold status,” he said.
Bantsi added countries such as Canada have indicated that they will arrive in Gaborone early to acclimatise.
He said they would start selling tickets for the relays in January, adding they are left with appointing the ticket vendor.
“We are not going to use printed tickets but QR code tickets. We do not want any leakages; we want a tight system. We are going to have a team that will be here in January for final inspection,” Bantsi said.
He said the renovation of the National Stadium has been completed, and only the marking of the lanes remains. He said they have been promised that the UB Stadium will be handed over in January.
Regarding sponsorship, Bantsi said the reaction has been a bit slow from the private sector.
The current sponsors for the relays are Diamond College of Botswana (120 medals and 16 billboards), Halfway Toyota (transport for the event), and Botswana Telecommunications Corporation (BTC) for internet connectivity.
He said they still expect big companies like Debswana Diamond Company to come onboard. Bantsi added that they are concerned about the escalation of doping cases in Botswana.
“We understand that sometimes it is not intentional; we need education. There will be a lot of out-of-competition testing, and during the competition, we expect around 40 tests or more.
“Our doping control officers do not have experience; we are going to have experienced doping control officers coming in to assist,” he said.
Bantsi is worried that Batswana do not even know what the World Athletics Relays are. He said they are expecting around 60 countries because the past editions had attracted 57 countries.
“Countries that were in the relay finals at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo will be here. We should be taking advantage of the relays to promote tourism. The Ministry of Tourism should be working with us; we are not saying they should give us money.
“People must understand what this event means for this country. Every Motswana should benefit from this event,” he said.
Bantsi revealed that 600 volunteers will be recruited, and application forms will be distributed across the country and online for international volunteers.