Nigeria To Face Poland, South Africa, Four Others' Hurdles In First-Ever African World Athletics Relay

Nigeria To Face Poland, South Africa, Four Others' Hurdles In First-Ever African World Athletics Relay 

By BSN Sports 

Nigeria will look to strengthen its position ahead of the 2026 World Athletics Relays when its relay teams compete at the Lefika International Relays in Botswana on March 28, BSNSports.com.ng reports.

The competition, scheduled for the National Stadium, is designed as both a curtain-raiser and a key preparatory event for the World Relays, which will take place in Gaborone from May 2 to 3. This year’s edition of the global event will be notable as the first to be hosted on African soil.

Participation in the Lefika Relays has expanded significantly, with six countries confirmed: Botswana, Poland, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Lesotho.

Nigeria is expected to field teams in a full range of relay events, including the men’s and women’s 4x100m, men’s and women’s 4x400m, and the mixed 4x400m relay.

The country’s women’s 4x400m team has already secured qualification for the World Relays after recording a time of 3:31.14 at the MTN CHAMPS Athletics Classics in Calabar on March 7. That performance elevated the team to 22nd in the world rankings, displacing Mexico from the top 24.

Despite having qualified, the Nigerian squad remains focused on improving its time at the Lefika Relays to solidify its ranking and enhance its competitive readiness ahead of the global championships.

Organisers say preparations for the event are progressing steadily. Lefika Athletics Club secretary Dineo Basitang noted that while sponsorship remains a challenge, the competition will provide athletes with a valuable opportunity to acclimatise and assess their performance levels.

Basitang also highlighted the event’s growing profile, pointing out that participation has increased markedly from the previous edition, which featured only two countries. She added to that many teams are expected to use the meet both as a qualifying platform and as a test run ahead of the World Relays.