FNB Botswana Grand Prix to turn up the heat
Mqondisi Dube | Friday April 24, 2026 09:11
Athletes are drawn from the hosts, Botswana, Algeria, Belgium, Cameroon, Canada, Congo, Ethiopia, Egypt, Italy, Portugal, Slovakia, Jamaica, Great Britain, Kenya, South Africa, the United States of America, and Zimbabwe, amongst others. Event organisers, Golden Door Sports spokesperson, Calistus Kolantsho, said all was ready for the one-day competition. 'It is all systems go, the venue is ready. This year's edition reflects our commitment to deliver a world-class event with a strong field of international and local athletes. We are excited that the venue is ready to host the event, the track has been accredited by World Athletics, which means times recorded during the meet will be recognised,' he said.
He said athletes started arriving on Tuesday, with one of the headliners, Canadian 200m Olympic champion Andre De Grasse, touching down yesterday. The rest of the athletes, including the likes of Gabby Thomas and Ferdinand Omanyala, will be arriving tomorrow (Saturday).
Kolatsho said they expect tickets to be sold out, and he urged motorists to utilise the Notwane parking as vehicles will not be allowed inside the stadium.
'There is reserved parking at Notwane ground, where there will be adequate security. GSS ground is the overflow,' he said. Kolantsho noted that they aim to reclaim the event's gold status that they lost last year following delayed pitch renovations.
Additionally, the organisers of the event have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Local Organising Committee of the Debswana World Relays.
'It means they will be assisting us with logistics like transport, meals for officials and other personnel. They will take care of the bill for technical officials,' Kolantsho said.
For the first time, the UB Stadium will be used as a warm-up area. 'We have previously used Lekidi Centre, but since this is a precursor to the World Relays, we will use the UB Stadium. Everything will be time-based; we have two hours to deliver the main event, which is why we held the road to the FNB Botswana Golden Prix two weeks back, to gauge our preparedness,' he said.
The programme starts in the morning at 9am, with the main event scheduled to take place at 2:30pm. He lauded the FNB sponsorship as pivotal. 'Ever since 2023, the bank has been the backbone of this event. Without them, we would not be where we are.' The majority of the local athletes are part of the line-up, with Letsile Tebogo, Busang Collen Kebinatship and Bayapo Ndori the notable absentees. 'Letsile, we cannot afford him. This year, the government did not assist; their financial assistance usually takes care of that part of the bill,' Kolantsho said.