Botswana at the Olympics
Botswana made its debut at the Olympics by sending a seven-athlete team to represent them in the 1980 Summer Games, held in Moscow, USSR. The all-runner team consisted of Lucien Josiah, Joseph Ramotshabe, Langa Mudongo, Ishmael Mhaladi, Robert Chideka, Golekane Mosweu and Wilfred Kareng. Of the seven athletes, only two advanced.
Their luck did not change much in the next Summer Games held in Los Angeles, California, USA. As a matter of fact, for years, the Botswana delegation to the Summer Games has mostly been for athletics. 32 years after their Olympic debut, Botswana tasted Olympic honors when track in 2012 when runner Nijel Amos took the silver for the men's 800 meters. 18-year-old Amos finished second in 1min 41.73sec behind a world record 1:40.91 by Kenya's David Rudisha.
The 2012 Botswana delegation was the smallest in their history sending only four athletes to represent the country. At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 they again tasted success, with the men's 4 x 400 relay team coming home with a bronze medal.
Botswana's first Olympic gold medal came in Paris 2024, when sprinter Letsile Tebogo finished first in the Men's 200m sprint.
Botswana, as with most African nations, has never sent athletes to the Winter Games.
Related Pages
- List of all countries that have participated at the Olympic Games.
- About sport in Botswana.
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