Several athletes qualify for Africa Games
An impressive number of Botswana athletes have qualified for the upcoming Africa Games, set to take place in Accra, Ghana from March 8th to 23rd, 2024. With over 21 athletes who have already qualified. The Botswana National Sports Commission has allocated a budget to send 18 athletes from the BAA to the games. The Botswana Athletics Association (BAA) said that after the conclusion of the qualification period on February 20th, the BAA will finalize the team that will represent Botswana at the games.
So far, 17 male athletes and 4 female athletes have qualified for the African Games through the BAA Track and Field Series 3 events. The athletes are preparing for a number of major events in the 2024 calendar, including the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, World Athletics Indoor Championships, African Senior Championships, World Athletics Relays, World Athletics U20 Championships, and the African Games. They are continuing to qualify through a number of events.
The qualification period remains open until February 20th, so athletes still have a chance to qualify for the All Africa games.
The BAA’s Vice President, Oabona Theetso, stated that they are pleased with the number of athletes who have already qualified, and that the qualification period is still open. He noted that the Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) has a quota of 18 athletes for the All Africa Games.
He expressed his admiration for the athletes’ dedication and commitment to qualify for major tournaments, saying that they have been putting their best foot forward since the beginning of the qualification events.
“BNSC is responsible for determining how many athletes will go to the All Africa Games, as they are the ones who set the budget. Once the qualification period ends on February 20th, the BAA will select Team Botswana, keeping in mind the quota of 18 athletes. We are grateful to see so many athletes qualify for these games,” Theetso said.
Theetso highlighted that when determining who will be on Team Botswana for the All Africa Games, the association will considers a number of factors, including who has qualified, the fitness level of each athlete, and the schedule of activities for that athlete. He said that the team will be selected as soon as the qualification period ends.