- To mark qualification for 19th edition of World Athletics Championships, in Budapest, Hungary, on 19-27th August 2023
Lefika International Relays Continental Tour Local Organizing Committee (LOC) were schedu;ed to hold the inaugural qualifying relays on Saturday (10th June 2023) at the National Stadium starting at 9am.
The World Qualifying Relays, which were held for the first time in Africa, hosted by Botswana Athletics Association (BAA) affiliate Lefika Athletics Club, through a Local Organising Committee (LOC), gave local, regional and continental athletes an opportunity to qualify for the World Athletics Relays.
Originally, the event was to be used to qualify for Guangzhou, China World Athletics Relays that were supposed to be held on the 13-14 May 2023 but have since been postponed to 2025. The next event that could be used for the qualifications is the nineteenth edition of the World Athletics Championships, which will be held in Budapest, Hungary, 19-27 August 2023.
Countries which have confirmed participation in these Botswana inaugural World Qualifying Relays are Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini, and Botswana.
Team Botswana will be represented in both 4x100m Men and Women, and 4x400m mixed relays. Local athletes who will take part include Baboloki Thebe, Lydia Jele, Christine Botlogetswe, Obakeng Kamberuka, Tsaone Sebele, Thuto Masasa, Thapelo Monnaiwa, and Tumo Van Wyk, just to mention but a few.
About 335 athletes are expected to take part in these inaugural world qualifying relays which are to be held annually and are expected to grow with time with more countries participating.
Huddles and Steeple Chase will also take place and are technical events in which athletes from the continent are not performing well. They have been added in order to help athletes from the continent improve. They will also help in attracting other athletes to the Botswana event.