Botswana takes the baton as road to Gaborone 2028 begins

By Maxwell Kumoye who was in Accra, Ghana for the 24th edition of the CAA Senior Athletics Championships 

 

 

The countdown to the 25th African Senior Athletics Championships has officially begun, with Botswana set to welcome the continent’s finest athletes in 2028 after securing hosting rights for Africa’s premier athletics event.

The announcement was confirmed by the Confederation of African Athletics following the conclusion of the 24th edition of the championships in Accra, where the continent’s athletics leaders endorsed Botswana’s readiness to stage the showpiece.

Although Botswana was awarded the hosting rights in 2024, the Botswana Athletics Association was required to present a detailed readiness report before the CAA Council during meetings in Ghana.

BAA Acting President Oabona Theetso said the association delivered a strong presentation that convinced the council the southern African nation was fully prepared to host the championships for the very first time.

“We are not going to drop the ball,” Theetso declared after the confirmation, expressing confidence that Botswana would deliver a memorable continental spectacle.

The championships return to Southern Africa for the first time since 2016, when Durban, South Africa hosted the event, and Botswana intends to build on the momentum generated by its successful staging of the Debswana World Athletics Relays in Gaborone.

According to Theetso, the experience gained from hosting the global relay event provided valuable lessons in organising international competitions and would serve as a blueprint for 2028.

The 2028 athletics calendar is expected to be highly competitive, with the World Relays in The Bahamas doubling as Olympic qualifiers ahead of the Los Angeles Olympic Games. The African Senior Athletics Championships are also expected to play a key qualifying role for both the World Relays and the Olympics, adding further significance to the event.

Botswana is also planning to leverage the success of its celebrated men’s 4x400 metres relay team as ambassadors of the championships, using athletics as a platform to promote the country’s tourism, culture and heritage across Africa and beyond.

“It is not just about hosting, but also about promoting our country through sport and showcasing our rich culture and heritage,” said Theetso.

Preparations are already gathering pace, with plans underway to establish a Local Organising Committee before the end of the year. The association is also expected to collaborate closely with government authorities and the corporate sector to ensure the successful delivery of the championships.

The symbolic handover ceremony brought the curtain down on the championships in Accra as Jackson Tuwei officially presented the CAA flag to Theetso, marking Botswana’s formal takeover as hosts of the 2028 edition.

The ceremony represented Ghana’s successful passing of the torch and signalled the beginning of a new chapter for African athletics as the journey to Gaborone 2028 officially gets underway.