31 Aug 2026

While Botswana has firmly cemented its reputation as a global sprint powerhouse, the nation’s competitive presence in field events continues to lag behind.

The disparity has left local sports administrators searching for ways to diversify the national athletics portfolio. 

A crucial breakthrough in addressing the gap emerged when Botswana partnered with USA through the International Sports Programming Initiative (ISPI) Track and Field Exchange Programme, which recently brought a delegation of 10 track and field coaches from USA to exchange notes with their Botswana counterparts.

Among the visiting coaches was a field events coach, Anna Richardson, who specialises in throwing disciplines.

She observed that although the problem was global, the situation in Botswana might be fueled by the success on the track, therefore diverting people’s focus to track events and overlooking field events with the possibility of equally producing some positive results. 

According to Richardson the media and developmental imbalance was not unique to Botswana but it was a systemic issue within global track and field athletics. 

She said even at the elite Diamond League, broadcasting schedules heavily favor runners, with field events getting brief and sporadic glimpse. 

Richardson said the lack of visibility directly affected grassroots interest, as young athletes were attracted by the energy and attention given to track events and have little or no interest on field events such as shot put, discus or javelin.

To break the recurring cycle, Richardson said the immediate solution does not require waiting for advanced facilities or highly certified master coaches. 

Instead, it relies entirely on local volunteers being brave enough to simply introduce children to the basic concepts of throwing.

The core strategy discussed during her tour focuses heavily on finding local leaders who are willing to step out of their comfort zones and encourage children to try field events.

She said expanding grassroots participation was the critical first step to discovering natural talent that would otherwise remain unnoticed and sidelined.

Richardson said that if more children were given the opportunity to experiment with throwing implements, individuals with a natural trend for the sport would organically emerge. ENDS