11 Nov 2025

The Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC) has confirmed receipt of a comprehensive report investigating the recent rise in doping cases in Botswana.

Speaking during a press conference on November 10, BNOC chief executive officer, Dorothy Tlagae-Gaseitsiwe said the investigative team had completed and handed over the report, which had already been presented to the BNOC board.

She noted that before the report could be made public, due process must be followed, including its presentation to the relevant committee that dealt with sport matters. Tlagae-Gaseitsiwe emphasised the need to handle the report carefully to avoid confusing the public.

BNOC president, Tshepo Sitale acknowledged that Botswana continued to face challenges in school sports development. He said the committee would provide recommendations to relevant stakeholders on how best to address the issue.

Sitale added that the BNOC would soon meet with the Minister of Sport and Arts to share proposals on how the National Olympic Committee could contribute to strengthening school sport structures.

On the issue of Olympic Solidarity, Sitale explained that national federations are required to submit names of athletes for consideration. He however decried that they often recorded a low number of submissions from the federations.

Furthermore, he said selection was not based on favouritism and if Botswana failed to submit its best athletes, the country risked having no one selected.

He added that in Olympic Games, there were set standards and in athletics qualification was determined by recorded times, while in other sporting codes, cumulative rankings were used to assess eligibility. Sitale also revealed that BNOC’s technical sponsorship deal with Diadora is nearing its end. 

“The board will soon meet with the sponsor to chart the way forward. For now, we cannot disclose much as we remain bound by the terms of the existing contract,” he said. ENDS