2018: From gold in Gold Coast to shattered Olympic Dreams

Failed Olympic Games bid

2018 will go down in history as a year when Botswana launched an audacious bid to become the first ever African country to host the Youth Olympic Games. Botswana, went head-to-head with other African countries, Tunisia, Senegal and Nigeria for the right to organise the 2022 tournament. While the Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC) thought it had done enough to win the bid, the government baulked at the P1.7 billion budget needed to host the games. Botswana missed the August 17 deadline for the government to commit to the hosting of the games. In the end, it was Senegal that prevailed and will become the first African country to host the Youth Olympics.