03/10/2026
THE REGION 5 TORCH PASSES THROUGH BOTSWANA 🇧🇼
The flame of the AUSC Region 5 Youth Games made its way through Botswana today, with the torch received at Mogoditshane Senior Secondary School as part of its journey towards Maputo, Mozambique, where the 2026 Games will take place from 4–13 December.
The ceremony brought together representatives from the Botswana National Sports Commission (BNSC), Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC), the Ministry of Sports and Arts, and the Mozambican delegation as Botswana took its place in the regional relay towards this year’s Games.
For BNOC Vice President Ms Tebo Segaise, the significance of the torch goes beyond the ceremony itself. “This torch symbolises peace and friendship, as well as continuity, as it is passed from one country to another.” Speaking to the young athletes and students gathered at Mogoditshane Senior Secondary School, Ms Segaise described the Region 5 Games as a “critical launching pad” for athletes, giving young competitors their first experience of international multi-sport competition and exposing them to the discipline, preparation and demands of high-performance sport.
“Every Olympic medallist, Commonwealth champion, and world record holder… their journey to global dominance started right here at youth events, like school sport games, as well as Region Five games,” she said.
That pathway was echoed by BNSC CEO Mr Olebile Sikwane, who described the Region 5 Games as a breeding ground for Botswana's future Olympians and world champions. He noted that many athletes who have gone on to represent Botswana at the Olympics, Commonwealth Games and World Championships have come through the Region 5 system. The programme featured a karate demonstration by the Mogoditshane Senior Secondary School team, before the ceremony moved from speeches to action. Dignitaries, students and members of the sporting community took the Region 5 torch onto the school's track, completing a symbolic relay together.
The moment captured what the Games are ultimately about: giving young people the opportunity to compete, develop character, build friendships across borders and discover how far their sporting potential can take them.
The AUSC Region 5 Youth Games are a biennial Under-20 multi-sport competition hosted rotationally across the region, with their objectives including developing young athletes towards representing their countries and region, promoting fair play and Olympism, and strengthening regional integration through sport.
And as Botswana continues to place renewed emphasis on developing sport at the grassroots and school level, today's ceremony offered a timely reminder: the road to the international stage often begins on school fields, courts and tracks, where young athletes first learn to compete.
From Mogoditshane to Maputo, the torch continues its journey.
