Botswana Athletics Celebrated by African Confederation
The Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) has recognized the Botswana Athletics Association (BAA) as the Best African Federation for 2025. This prestigious award highlights the nation’s rising prominence in continental athletics.
Adding to Botswana’s accolades, the CAA named rising star Collen Kebinatshipi as the Male Athlete of the Year. Chilume Chippa Ntshwarang received honors as the Coach of the Year, underscoring the depth of talent within the country’s athletic programs.
Strong Performances on the World Stage
The recognition follows Botswana’s impressive performance at recent international championships. At the Tokyo 25 World Athletics Championships, the country secured a joint 5th place globally among 198 participating nations. Within Africa, Botswana ranked second, only behind Kenya.
Earlier in May, at the Guangzhou 25 World Athletics Championships, Botswana finished seventh overall. This placed them second among African nations, following South Africa, which topped both the global and continental rankings.
BAA Welcomes Recognition Amid Growth
Oabona Theetso, acting BAA president, expressed his satisfaction with the CAA’s announcement. He noted that the recognition reflects progress across athletes, coaches, and the association itself.
According to Theetso, this honor signals Botswana’s effective strategies, especially when compared to athletic powerhouses like South Africa, Kenya, and Tanzania. He emphasized the BAA’s consistent performance in achieving medal wins at significant international events, including Olympic and world championships.
Theetso views this recognition as motivation. He stated that the association aims to build on this success, inspiring athletes to reach even greater achievements in the future.
Addressing Doping Concerns
Despite the positive news, the CAA’s recognition coincides with an increase in doping violations within Botswana athletics. Theetso acknowledged that these incidents could undermine the reputation of the many clean athletes.
He voiced concern that such actions by a few individuals could negatively impact the careers of clean competitors, highlighting the potential for national teams or top athletes to face repercussions. Theetso stressed that pursuing success through illicit means is unacceptable.
Significantly, none of the athletes with recent positive doping tests had won medals during the period of their violations. The BAA is actively investigating these cases, extending inquiries to implicated athletes, coaches, and support staff, as well as suppliers of banned substances.
Theetso commended the National Anti-Doping Coordinating Office (NADCO) for its vigilance. He pointed out that NADCO has successfully identified most of the athletes using prohibited substances, demonstrating the effectiveness of national anti-doping efforts.
Leave a Reply