25 Sep 2019

Botswana’s 800-metres runner, Nigel Amos, will be the first Motswana to take to the track at the IAAF World Championships in Doha on September 28.

Amos would compete in round one from 4:15pm (Botswana time) at Khalifa International Stadium.

The Marobela-born runner has been consistent this season and expectations are that he would proceed to the next round.

On Monday, Christine Botlogetswe and Galefele Moroko would compete in 400 metres round one, while Ditiro Nzamani and Leungo Scotch will be expected to fill the big shoes of Isaac Makwala and Baboloki Thebe in the 400 metres.

The team manager, Oabona Theetso, said in an interview that the team arrived early in Doha to acclimatise.

He said America-based Amos had since joined the team and they were training together in preparation for the competition.

Morale in camp, he said, was high and all athletes were looking forward to representing the country in their respective events.

“Currently the team is free from injuries and they are continuing with preparations. All in all I can say it is all systems go,” he said.

On doping, Theetso said athletes knew about the implications of doping.

Meanwhile, a media release from IAAF has indicated that the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), in partnership with the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 Local Organising Committee (LOC) and the Qatar Anti-Doping Commission (QADC), will deliver an unprecedented integrity programme during the 10-day competition.

It says one of the key policy decisions taken by the AIU, ahead of the championships, was to transfer samples collected from the host nation’s athletes to a laboratory abroad in order to avoid any potential conflict of interest and associated risks.

It says the policy will come into force in Doha and continue at future editions of the World Championships.

“The IAAF World Athletics Championships is one of the greatest sports events in the world and it is the AIU’s responsibility to ensure fair play,” AIU Chairman David Howman is quoted as saying.

The release says transferring samples of athletes from the host nation to another World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)-accredited laboratory is a proactive measure to avoid any perception of conflict. Ends