Botswana athletes seeking to compete at the World Athletics Championships in 2027 are obligated to have undergone at least three out-of-competition testing in the 10-month period prior to 26 August 2027.
This is as per the order of the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) Board in a letter dated 14th October 2026 and emailed to the Botswana Athletics Association (BAA).
In the letter, which was signed by Head of the AIU Brett Clothier, the AIU warns that ‘no athlete may participate as part of the Botswana National Team in the 2027 World Athletics Championships’ unless they have undergone the stipulated out of competition tests.
‘The three no notice out-of-competition tests must have been conducted with at least 21 full days between each test. The first of the three no notice out-of-competition tests must have been conducted no later than 24 weeks prior to the start of the competition, namely by 26 March 2027,’ the AIU states in the letter.
According to the AIU, the decision to impose ‘specific testing obligations’ on BAA ‘was as a result of the BAA’s failure to meet its testing obligations for 2022, 2023 and 2024 pursuant to Rule 15.6.1.’
It further explains ‘the decision to impose specific testing obligations came after it had conducted a comprehensive review of the testing conducted on Category B Federation national teams following the 2025 Tokyo World Championships.’
From the said review, it was discovered that ‘the level of out-of-competition testing conducted on the Botswana team who competed at the Tokyo World Championships showed no material improvement in 2025. On the contrary, it showed that ‘the level of out-of-competition testing of Botswana athletes in the lead -up to Tokyo in fact decreased.’
Botswana ranked 19th in Tokyo and ‘had the highest percentage of top-ranked athletes in its team in Tokyo, with 5 of the 10 athletes in the Top 8.’
Of concern however for the AIU was that ‘only 8 out-of-competition tests were conducted by the Botswana NADO on athletes competing in Tokyo.’ It further discovered that ‘30% of the National Team competing in Tokyo,’ representing 3 athletes, ‘had not undergone any out-of-competition tests.’
Another cause for concern was the AIU’s discovery that ‘out -of -competition testing by the NADO in Botswana decreased in the lead -up to Tokyo (compared to the lead -up to Paris), despite the two AIU warning letters sent in early and late 2024.’ The review further discovered that ‘there was no national testing pool and no whereabouts programme in place.’
‘Pursuant to Rule 15.6.4, the AIU Board decided in the circumstances to impose the following testing obligations on the BAA for the purposes of the 2027 World Athletics Championships taking place in Beijing, China on 10-19 September 2027.
The testing obligations however will not affect Botswana’s elite athletes such as Letsile Tebogo, Collen Kebinatshipi, Bayapo Ndori and Tshepiso Masalela. The AIU Board in its letter stipulates that ‘the specific testing obligations relate to BAA athletes who are not part of the International Registered Testing Pool.’
The quartet, which forms the core of Botswana’s elite team and also regarded as among the best in the world, are in the AIU’s international Registered Pool. Unlike the rest of the athletes, these athletes are subjected to a very strict and rigorous testing regime by the AIU both in and out of competition.
As a privilege of being among the elite, they are expected to inform the AIU about their exact location every single day of the year through the Anti-Doping Administration and Management System (ADAMS). They are also required without fail to provide a specific 60-minute time slot everyday where they guarantee their availability for testing. The intrusive testing system means they have to, among others, log in details of where they will spend their nights each single day, where they will train as well as their competition schedules.
The imposition of the strict out-of-competition testing for local athletes, has been welcomed by the BAA. ‘We welcome the AIU decision. As an association, we are advocates for clean sport. We want our athletes to compete fairly and not cheat. People have to earn their stripes,’ BAA president Oabona Theetso says.
He adds that the letter in no way implies that Botswana athletes are doping. Rather, it seeks to ensure strict adherence to testing. ‘Our athletes were tested prior to competitions, more especially during camps. What the AIU seeks is for us to increase the frequency of testing as the tests were carried out were not enough.’
Theetso went on to emphasise that the testing was meant for athletes who were not yet in the top tier of elites in the world. ‘As you know, four of our top elites, Letsile, Kebinatshipi, Ndori and Masalela are in the international registered testing pool and are tested by the AIU. These athletes are not affected by the AIU directive.’
He says the BAA will continue to work around the clock to ensure local athletes meet the AIU requirements and are eligible to compete.