Sports in Botswana is diverse and reasonably well-developed. Though football, netball and athletics remain the most popular sports, numerous other sporting codes, including cricket, rugby, judo, swimming and tennis are active in the national sporting landscape. The Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC), together with the Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC) and Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture (MYSC) are responsible for the overall management of sport in the country. In addition, there over 30 National Sport Federations (NSFs) and three school sport federations [1]
Botswana has been doing well in athletics looking at the works of Nijel Amos[2] winning a silver medal in the men's 800 m race, the first Olympic medal for his country.[3] At the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Amos won the 800 meter Gold medal in 1:45.18. In the tactical affair, Amos maneuvered out of a box to pass World Record holder David Rudisha in the last 50 meters.[4] Botswana also has a good athlete Amantle Montsho who has won the silver medal at the 2006 African Championships and the gold medal representing the country at the 2007 All-Africa Games. At the same Games she also finished fifth in the 200 metres.[5] She ran a personal best and Botswana record of 49.83 seconds to win at the 2008 African Championships in Athletics. It remains the Championship record for the event. At the 2011 World Championships in Athletics in South Korea, she narrowly beat Alyson Felix to become Botswana's first World or Olympic track and field champion.
The card game bridge has a strong following; it was first played in Botswana over 30 years ago and grew in popularity during the 1980s. Many British expatriate school teachers informally taught the game in Botswana's secondary schools. The Botswana Bridge Federation (BBF) was founded in 1988 and continues to organise tournaments. Bridge has remained popular and the BBF has over 800 members.[8] In 2007, the BBF invited the English Bridge Union to host a week-long teaching program in May 2008.[9]
Cricket was started in the country by expatriates from South Africa and the Indian subcontinent.[10] Botswana was elected to the ICC as an affiliate member in 2001,[11] and played in the Africa Cup in Zambia the following year. After winning all their first round matches against Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, they beat Kenya in the semi-final before losing by 270 runs to South Africa in the final.[12]
In March 2004, they won the African affiliates qualifying tournament for the 2005 ICC Trophy, qualifying them for the next stage of qualification, the Africa Cricket Association Championships. They beat Nigeria and Tanzania in that tournament in Zambia in August, finishing fourth, thus missing out on qualification for their first ICC Trophy.[13] They were rewarded for their performance in this tournament by being promoted to associate membership of the ICC in 2005.[11]
In 2006, they took part in Division Two of the African region of the World Cricket League, finishing second behind Tanzania.[14] This qualified them for Division Five of the World Cricket League.[15]
In May 2008, Botswana travelled to Jersey to take part in the Division Five tournament. Although Botswana beat the Bahamas in Group B, it was their only group stage win and with three losses and one match abandoned due to rain they failed to make the semi-finals. Botswana finished sixth overall after defeating Germany but losing to Singapore in positional playoff matches. With only the top two from this tournament qualifying for Division Four in Tanzania later in the year, Botswana missed out on the chance to take their 2011 World Cup dream any further.[16] In October 2008, Botswana took part in Division Two of the African region of the World Cricket League, finishing unbeaten and winning the tournament. This victory promoted them to Division One of the Africa Region, however the date and venue for this tournament is still to be determined.[17]
In August 2009, Botswana travelled to Singapore to participate in Division Six of the World Cricket League. Despite being competitive in most of their games, Botswana won only one of five group matches and finished fifth after beating Norway in a positional playoff.[18]
In May 2011, Botswana hosted the ICC World Cricket League Division Seven with a young squad and performed admirably well, winning three league stage matches against Norway, Japan and Germany but losing out to eventual champions Kuwait, 2nd placed Nigeria and finally Germany in the placing match. The match versus Nigeria in the league stages was to decide which of the 2 nations would progress to the ICC World Cricket League Division Six to be held in Malaysia in September 2011 and by losing that match, Botswana failed to progress and will remain in Division Seven till the next instalment of the ICC WCL.
In April 2013, Botswana were given hosting rights again for the ICC World Cricket League Division 7 in their second attempt in trying to get promoted out of Division 7 after halting the relegation slide in the last edition. Beating Ghana in the first match, Botswana lost their second match in a competitive encounter against Vanuatu by 23 runs. Botswana then lost third next match heavily to eventual WCL Div 7 winners and arch rivals Nigeria. Botswana tried in vain to get back into contention for promotion but after a tied match against Germany, all hopes were dashed and the best they could hope for was a 3rd-place finish. This was achieved by beating Fiji in the last group match and then beating them again in the 3rd place playoff earning Botswana a respectable 3rd place, finishing behind Vanuatu and Nigeria who were both promoted to Division 6 of the WCL. With ICC's decision to eliminate the ICC World Cricket League Divisions 7 and 8, this meant that Botswana will now have to qualify through regional tournaments to make it into the ICC World Cricket League Division 6, which will now be the entry point for the World Cricket League.
Football is the most popular sport in Botswana, with qualification for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations being the biggest achievement to date. The Botswana national football team, governed by the Botswana Football Association,[19] is popularly known as The Zebras and represents the country in international football competitions.[20] It was founded in 1970, and affiliated to FIFA in 1978 and to CAF in 1976. The Botswana Football Association organizes national football leagues and the national team which include the beMOBILE Premier League, Botswana First Division North and Botswana First Division South.
Although Botswana have entered the FIFA World Cup preliminary stages five times, it took them nearly 11 years after playing their first match to register their first victory - a 4–1 victory in the African pre-preliminary qualifying rounds for Germany 2006 against Lesotho
The southern African nation took part in their first preliminary competition for the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the USA, where they faced Niger and Côte d'Ivoire. They managed a 0–0 draw with the latter in Gaborone but lost their other three matches, finishing last in their group.
The next competition they entered was for 2002 FIFA World Cup, where they faced Zambia in a two-legged tie to decide which team would advance to the group stages. Zambia won both legs of the tie to qualify and knock Botswana out.
After this Botswana suffered some poor results with the team losing 3–0 to Zambia and losing to second-string sides from South Africa and Zimbabwe at home in Gaborone, frustrating many supporters. A draw with a Madagascar side ranked 146th in the world at the time led Botswana FA to sack manager Colwyn Rowe, despite his leading Botswana to their then-highest ever FIFA ranking of 95th. The BFA claimed this move was taken because they feared for his safety from angry fans. Stanley Tshosane was named as his replacement and in his first game in charge, Botswana achieved an impressive 2–1 win away to Mozambique to put them in a relatively strong position in their qualifying group. Despite also achieving a creditable draw with Côte d'Ivoire, Botswana finished bottom of their qualifying group for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
This disappointment was followed by the most successful period in Botswana's history. Botswana defied their ranking to become the first team to qualify for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, beating Tunisia both at home and away. This success coincided with a rise to their highest ever FIFA ranking of 53rd. They did not manage to build upon this upturn in form at the tournament, losing narrowly to Ghana and Mali and heavily to Guinea to finish bottom of their group with zero points.
The truncated qualification format for 2013 Africa Cup of Nations saw them face Mali in a two-legged tie, which they lost 7-1 on aggregate. They then failed to qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, finishing third in their group with 7 points behind South Africa and Ethiopia.
In October 2013 the Botswana Football Association sacked Tshosane, citing his "failing to meet the targets set for him".[21] They subsequently appointed Englishman Peter Butler in February 2014.[22]
Motorsport
The Kalahari Botswana 1000 Desert Race is a desert race held since 1981. It is the premier event of the South African Rally Cross Country Series.
Golf
The Botswana Golf Union offers an amateur golf league in which golfers compete in tournaments and championships.
The Botswana team played their first ever international on September 7, 1996 against Zimbabwe, losing 130 to 10. Their first win came in 2001 in a match against Swaziland, winning 13 points to 3. Also in 2001 they participated in African qualifying tournaments for the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia. In 2004 Botswana won four internationals in a row, defeating Tanzania, Swaziland, Nigeria and Mali.
Botswana then participated in the Africa qualifying tournaments for the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France. They were grouped in the Southern Pool of Round 1a, along with nations Zambia and Swaziland. In their first game against Zambia in Lusaka, they lost 28 to 24. However they won their second match 19 to 12 over Swaziland in Botswana. They finished second in the pool and did not advance to the next round. Rugby union in Botswana has 6,805 registered players.[23] However, Botswana's proximity to the major Rugby playing nation of South Africa, and 2 time world cup competitors Zimbabwe, has meant that Botswana has received a constant flow of touring sides, and other African nations.[24]
Botswana has over the last couple of years, remained ranked in the top ten in Africa in junior tennis. Presently the highest ranked player is No. 3 in Africa in the 16 & under age group. The Botswana Tennis Association has a very well structured junior development program which is aimed at developing tennis at grassroots. This program receives a lot of support from the BNSC, ITF and other stakeholders since the funds that they provide are used to carryout this program. Currently this program has been spread throughout the country to several primary schools.[29]
Botswana Junior Tennis Team training for their next games
The Botswana national football team was founded in 1970 to represent Botswana in association football and is governed by the Botswana Football Association (BFA). It qualified for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.
The Uganda national cricket team, nicknamed the Cricket Cranes, is the men's team that represents Uganda in international cricket. The team is organised by the Uganda Cricket Association, which has been an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) since 1998.
The Botswana national cricket team is the men's team that represents Botswana in international cricket. They have been an associate member of the International Cricket Council since 2005, after previously being an affiliate member since 2001 and an associate member in 2017. They are in Division Five of the World Cricket League and are ranked at joint 29th in the world by the International Cricket Council (ICC). They are the 5th-highest ranked non-Test team in the African region. The team's coach is former Kenyan ODI player Joseph Angara, who was appointed in July 2015.
The Nigeria national cricket team is the men's team that represents the country of Nigeria in international cricket. Cricket has been played in Nigeria since the late 19th century, and the national team played their first match in 1904, when a team representing the Lagos Colony played the Gold Coast Colony. The Nigeria Cricket Association has been an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) since 2002.
The Zambia national cricket team is the team that represents the Republic of Zambia in international cricket. It is administered by the Zambia Cricket Union, which became an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2003. The team made its international debut in 1930, during the country's colonial period as Northern Rhodesia.
The ICC World Cricket League (WCL) was a series of international one-day cricket tournaments for national teams without Test status administered by the International Cricket Council. All Associate Members of the ICC were eligible to compete in the league system, which featured a promotion and relegation structure between divisions. The league system had two main aims: to provide a qualification system for the Cricket World Cup that could be accessed by all Associate Members and as an opportunity for these sides to play international one-day matches against teams of similar standards.
The Ghana national cricket team represents Ghana in men's international cricket. It is an associate member of the International Cricket Council, which it joined as an affiliate member in 2002, and mainly plays matches in Africa Cricket Association tournaments. Ghana Cricket Association promotes the sport in the country.
The World Cricket League Africa Region or Africa World Cricket League is a one-day cricket tournament organised by the African Cricket Association for non-Test national cricket teams in Africa. As well as providing opportunity for national teams to play international matches against others of a similar standard, it also provides qualification into the ICC World Cricket League.
ICC U19 Cricket World Cup Africa Qualifier are a series of regular cricket tournaments organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for under-19 teams from its African member nations. It is the regional qualifier for the ICC Under-19 World Cup.
The Namibia men's national cricket team, nicknamed the Eagles, is the men's team that represents the Republic of Namibia in international cricket. It is organised by Cricket Namibia, which became an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 1992.
The 2013 ICC World Cricket League Division Seven was a cricket tournament that took place from 6 to 13 April 2013. It formed part of the ICC World Cricket League and qualifying for the 2019 Cricket World Cup. Botswana hosted the event.
The 2015 ICC World Cricket League Division Six was a limited-overs international cricket tournament that took place in England from 7 to 13 September 2015. The majority of matches were played at grounds in Essex, although two matches took place in Bishop's Stortford, in the neighbouring county of Hertfordshire.
Jatinder Singh is an Indian-born cricketer who plays for the Oman national cricket team. He made his debut for the Omani national side at the 2011 World Cricket League Division Three tournament. He is a right-handed top-order batsman.
Zane Edward Green is a Namibian cricketer who made his senior debut for the Namibian national side in September 2013, aged 16.
The 2015 ICC Africa Twenty20 Championship was a cricket tournament held in Benoni, South Africa, from 27 to 31 March 2015. All matches were played at the Willowmoore Park complex.
The 2017 ICC World Cricket League Division Five was an international cricket tournament that took place in Benoni, South Africa during September 2017. It formed part of the 2017–19 cycle of the World Cricket League (WCL) which determines the qualification for the 2023 Cricket World Cup. Jersey and the Netherlands were interested in hosting the tournament, but the International Cricket Council (ICC) awarded it to South Africa, due to the ease of securing visas for the teams involved.
The 2018–19 international cricket season was from September 2018 to April 2019. 34 Test matches, 92 One Day Internationals (ODIs) and 74 Twenty20 International (T20Is), as well as 28 Women's One Day Internationals (WODIs) and 130 Women's Twenty20 Internationals (WT20Is), were played during this period. The season started with India leading the Test cricket rankings, England leading the ODI rankings and Pakistan leading the Twenty20 rankings. In October 2018, the International Cricket Council (ICC) introduced separate rankings for women's ODIs and T20Is for the first time, with Australia women leading both tables.
The 2019–2022 ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League was the inaugural edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League and a cricket tournament which formed part of the 2023 Cricket World Cup Qualification process. The Challenge League replaced the World Cricket League (WCL) which was previously used as the pathway to the Cricket World Cup. The first fixtures took place in September 2019, with all matches having List A status.
James Joseph Moses is an American Olympic Gymnast.
Dhruv Maisuria is an Indian-born Botswana cricketer. He has played for the Botswana national cricket team since 2015 as a right-arm leg spin bowler.
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