Football, the most popular sport
Soccer in Botswana is very popular, especially during the major English league matches and the Champions League fixtures. Even if the national team's results are rather modest, this doesn't stop fans from cheering on the Zebras (Zebras) at every match. Adored by the local population, the team had few results on the international stage until 2012 and its historic qualification for the African Cup of Nations (CAN) in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. Unfortunately, the Zebras were soon eliminated after three defeats in three matches. Their best result came in the COSAFA Cup for Southern African teams, where Botswana were runners-up in 2016 and 2019.
Running, the best results
If Botswana doesn't shine at the Olympic Games, its hopes rest on the running disciplines. Having never won an Olympic medal before, the 2012 London Olympics represented a great opportunity for Botswana, which was pinning its hopes on Amantle Montsho, its 400-meter world champion. Montsho had won the country's only international gold medal a year earlier. In the end, to everyone's surprise, she finished fourth and it was Amos Nijel who won Botswana's first Olympic medal, silver in the men's 800 metres. Four years later, he was Botswana's flag-bearer at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Eliminated in the heats, he admitted that he was injured and not in optimum physical condition. He was injured again in 2019, when he was favourite for the world title in Doha. Two years later, at the Tokyo Olympic Games, Botswana won the second Olympic medal in its history with the bronze medal in the men's 4 x 400 m relay. It wasn't until the Paris Olympics that Botswana won a historic gold medal in athletics thanks to sprinter Letsile Tebogo, who dominated the 200m. The men's team also won a silver medal in the 4 x 400 m relay at the last Olympic Games.
Discovering a spectacular nature
Botswana is undoubtedly a great safari destination. The vastness of the natural territories, with their wide variety of landscapes, allows travellers to immerse themselves completely and open up their senses. The country's very low population density (around 4 inhabitants/km²) and low-volume tourism policy guarantee privileged wildlife viewing. Here, you may not see another vehicle all day in any of the country's reserves. The Okavango Delta, Moremi, Chobe, Makgadikgadi, Central Kalahari and Tuli Block are treasures of African nature. While the classic approach to discovering these exceptional natural sites is by all-terrain vehicle - the famous game-drive - you can also try out other means of travel: walking, mountain biking, mokoro (Okavango Delta dugout canoe), horseback riding, motorboats, helicopters or even walking alongside elephants accustomed to humans, which will enable you to get to know these magnificent creatures better.
Walking is also possible outside the reserves, particularly in the Tsodilo Hills.
Alternatively, anglers can indulge in their favorite activity in the Okavango Panhandle or in the Kasane region, where the Chobe and Zambezi rivers meet.
