It is a massive opportunity for a country that is seen as a rising athletics giant after churning out authentic global talent, including Amantle Montsho, Nijel Amos, Isaac Makwala, and top of the pile, Letsile Tebogo. Without a doubt, Botswana's athletics track record would have played a part in World Athletics awarding the country the World Relays hosting rights. Additionally, Botswana has managed to host the second-highest level of athletics meeting, the FNB Botswana Golden Prix, on two occasions. Gaborone hosted the competition in 2023 and 2025, with undue interference costing the country the right to host the 2024 edition. A potpourri of meddling threw spanners in the works, as the chief organiser of the event, Golden Door Sports Agency director, Glody Dube, cried sabotage. Dube did not hold back as he pointed some influential figures at the then Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture, as well as the Botswana National Sport Commission, for doing their utmost to disrupt the project. But the light at the end of the tunnel was provided when a new government took over last October. The event was handed back to Golden Door Sports, and Dube became a relieved man.
However, the relief was short-lived as Dube had to endure sleepless nights ahead of the 2025 event. The National Stadium, which had been closed since December 2025 to prepare the track for the event, was still not ready on the eve of the meet. In fact, on the day of the competition, workers were still sweating it out with the blue track paint and crooked lines as athletes were preparing to warm up. World Athletics was reportedly and justifiably livid to see such an embarrassment inflicted on the international audience. Golden Door Sports felt a sense of déjà vu after seeing the cancellation of the event in 2024. Despite the event going ahead, it came as no shock when last week, it emerged that the meet had been demoted from a gold to a silver competition. All because some people given the task to get the track ready on time did not meet their deadlines.
