Botswana at the Olympics facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Botswana at the Olympics
IOC code	BOT
NOC	Botswana National Olympic Committee
Medals Ranked 104th	Gold Silver Bronze Total 1 2 1 4
Summer appearances
1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020

Botswana is a country in Southern Africa. It has taken part in the Summer Olympic Games 11 times. Their first time competing was at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. Botswana has never participated in the Winter Olympics.

Botswana won its very first Olympic medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics. This was a silver medal won by Nijel Amos in the 800-meter race. Later, the men's 4 × 400 relay team earned a bronze medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

A big moment happened in 2024. Sprinter Letsile Tebogo won Botswana's first-ever Olympic gold medal! He won the men's 200 metres race. This also made him the first African athlete to win this title.

Botswana's Olympic Journey

Botswana, like many other African countries, has only competed in the Summer Olympics. They have not yet sent athletes to the Winter Olympics.

Starting at the Olympics: 1980

Botswana made its Olympic debut at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Russia. They sent seven male athletes to compete. No women from Botswana participated that year. All of their athletes competed in athletics events. Botswana did not win any medals in their first Olympic appearance.

First Medal Winner: 2012

At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Nijel Amos made history for Botswana. He won a silver medal in the men's 800-meter race. This was the very first Olympic medal ever won by an athlete from Botswana!

Making History: 2024

The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris were very exciting for Botswana. A 21-year-old sprinter named Letsile Tebogo won the gold medal in the men's 200-meter race. He finished in an amazing time of 19.46 seconds. This broke his own African record!

Tebogo also helped the men's relay team. He was the anchor runner in the 4 × 400-meter relay. The team won a silver medal with a time of 2:54.53. This was the third fastest time ever recorded and a new African record!

Olympic Medals for Botswana

Botswana has won four medals in total at the Olympic Games. They have one gold, two silver, and one bronze medal.

Medals by Summer Games

Games	Athletes	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Rank	Ref(s)
1980 Moscow	7	0	0	0	0	–
1984 Los Angeles	7	0	0	0	0	–
1988 Seoul	8	0	0	0	0	–
1992 Barcelona	6	0	0	0	0	–
1996 Atlanta	7	0	0	0	0	–
2000 Sydney	7	0	0	0	0	–
2004 Athens	10	0	0	0	0	–
2008 Beijing	12	0	0	0	0	–
2012 London	4	0	1	0	1	69
2016 Rio de Janeiro	12	0	0	0	0	–
2020 Tokyo	13	0	0	1	1	86
2024 Paris	11	1	1	0	2	55
2028 Los Angeles	Future Event
Total		1	2	1	4	102

Medals by Sport

All of Botswana's Olympic medals have been won in athletics.

List of Medal Winners

Here are the athletes who have won Olympic medals for Botswana:

Medal	Name	Games	Sport	Event	Date
2 Silver	Amos, NijelNijel Amos	2012 London	Athletics	Men's 800 metres	9 August 2012
3 Bronze	Isaac Makwala Bayapo Ndori Zibane Ngozi Baboloki Thebe	2020 Tokyo	Athletics	Men's 4 × 400 metres relay	7 August 2021
1 Gold	Tebogo, LetsileLetsile Tebogo	2024 Paris	Athletics	Men's 200 metres	8 August 2024
2 Silver	Busang Kebinatshipi Bayapo Ndori Anthony Pesela Letsile Tebogo	2024 Paris	Athletics	Men's 4 × 400 metres relay	10 August 2024

Flag Bearers

The flag bearer is an athlete who carries their country's flag during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. It's a big honor!

#	Games	Season	Flag bearer	Sport	Reference
12	Paris 2024	Summer	Letsile Tebogo	Athletics
			Maxine Egner	Swimming
11	Tokyo 2020		Mahommed, RajabRajab Mahommed	Boxing
			Montsho, AmantleAmantle Montsho	Athletics
10	Rio 2016		Amos, NijelNijel Amos	Athletics
9	London 2012		Montsho, AmantleAmantle Montsho	Athletics
8	Beijing 2008		Paxinos, SamanthaSamantha Paxinos	Swimming
7	Athens 2004		Ikgopoleng, KhumisoKhumiso Ikgopoleng	Boxing
6	Sydney 2000		Khunwane, GilbertGilbert Khunwane	Boxing
5	Atlanta 1996		Dipeba, JusticeJustice Dipeba	Athletics
4	Barcelona 1992
3	Seoul 1988		Kubuitsile, ShakesShakes Kubuitsile	Boxing
2	Los Angeles 1984		Mangoye, NormanNorman Mangoye	Official
1	Moscow 1980

See also

In Spanish: Botsuana en los Juegos Olímpicos para niños

• Botswana at the Paralympics
• List of flag bearers for Botswana at the Olympics