12 Nov 2025

Pressure to win the lucrative incentives that major competitions come with has been identified as one possible explanation for the rising cases of doping among local athletes.

The observation was made by Botswana Athletics Association (BAA) acting president, Oabona Theetso, who attributed the rising incidents of violations of anti-doping rules to athletes’ desire for quick results in efforts to better position themselves for winning.

In an interview, Theetso said the BAA was the hardest-hit, and should the situation not improve, Botswana risked being blacklisted by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Theetso said anti-doping-rule violations were now a scourge in Botswana as BAA recorded a positive case each year. The predicament, he said, would eventually cast doubt over the authenticity of Botswana’s wins, tarnishing the country’s image in the process.

He said with Botswana being a signatory of the World Anti-Doping Agency, the persistent anti-doping violations were a grave threat to the integrity of the country, particularly as signatories carried the natural responsibility to promote clean sport.

He added that doping was bad as its effects went beyond just potentially soiling the country’s good standing but that it could also negatively affect athletes’ health.

“Their health is at risk because of the steroids they use. You can imagine an athlete developing a serious chronic condition because of using banned substances.” he said.

He said as BAA they would continue to engage their athletes to sensitise them about the dangers and implications of anti-doping-rule violations.

The acting president said they waited with bated breath for the Anti-Doping Bill which was passed in the July sitting of parliament to be signed into law to pave way for an Anti-Doping Act. That, he said, would make provision for stringent penalties for doping offenses.

Meanwhile, Botswana National Olympic Committee has recently been handed a comprehensive report by the investigating team that was appointed to work on issues of doping, entailing causes, root cause analysis, and the supplements market.

Given the sensitivity with which issues of doping must be handled, the report and its contents are yet to be made public. ENDS