After the successful conclusion of the Botswana Golden Grand Prix in 2025, the event organizers have officially announced that the 2026 edition of the event will be comprehensively upgraded and will serve as a prelude to the World Relays Championships.
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As one of the few world - class track and field events in Africa, the Golden Grand Prix has become a stage where rising stars and renowned athletes in the international track and field community gather in recent years. This year's competition attracted many world - class athletes, including Botswana's world champion Letsile Tebogo, South Africa's star Akani Simbine, and the American 400 - meter hurdles Olympic champion Sydney McLaughlin - Levin. The event was broadcast globally across 159 channels in more than 150 countries, significantly enhancing Botswana's reputation on the international sports stage.
Organizers: Stronger, More Stable, and More Professional in 2026
In an interview at the end of the event, Mike Wagner, the CEO of World Athletics Management and the founder of the event, said that although this year's event faced challenges in terms of budget and preparation, it was successfully held and laid a good foundation for the upgraded event in 2026. "Due to the new government investing a large amount of funds in track renovation, this year's event budget was lower than last year's, which slightly affected the level of participating athletes. But I understand the current tight resources of the government, and I believe that next year we will bring a more competitive event," Wagner said.
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He specifically pointed out that the 2026 World Relays Championships will be held at the National Stadium in Gaborone on May 2 - 3, and the Golden Grand Prix will be scheduled for the week before this event, thus serving as a "rehearsal."
"We plan to allocate all the equipment from the World Relays and put it into use in advance during the Grand Prix to ensure that the systems and broadcast links are fully in place a week earlier," Wagner added.
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In addition, many athletes who are about to participate in the Relays Championships will also participate in the Grand Prix in advance. "They will stay in Botswana for a whole week, which means we will attract more high - level athletes and also save on airfare and accommodation costs - one ticket for two uses, sharing the two competitions."
