Nigeria arrive Botswana for World Relays

 Team Nigeria are due to arrive in Gaborone today ahead of the 2026 World Athletics Relays, following a long-haul journey from Lagos that underlines the scale of their preparations for the global event, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The contingent departed Nigeria in the early hours of Monday aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight, beginning a two-leg trip that will see them land in Botswana at 14:35 local time on Tuesday after more than 12 hours of flying time and an extended stopover in Addis Ababa.

The team’s first flight left Lagos, arriving in Ethiopia after five hours and 20 minutes, before a scheduled layover of 19 hours and 30 minutes.

They then resumed their journey on Tuesday morning on a Boeing 787-8 aircraft bound for Gaborone, with a brief stop in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, before completing the final stretch into Botswana.

Their arrival will complete the movement of the full Nigerian delegation after an advance party, led by Athletics Federation of Nigeria secretary Israel Inwang, had left for Gaborone on Sunday alongside sprinters Enoch Adegoke and Ezekiel Asuquo to finalise logistics ahead of the team’s arrival.

The travelling consists of four coaches led by AFN technical director Gabriel Okon overseeing preparations for the competition, which runs from May 2 to 3.

Nigeria will compete in all six relay events at the championship, having secured approval from World Athletics to enter a full programme after initially qualifying in three disciplines.

The event carries added significance as it serves as a qualification pathway for both the 2027 World Athletics Championships in Beijing and the World Athletics Ultimate Championship, raising the stakes for all participating nations.

A total of 723 athletes from 40 countries are registered for the competition, including all six reigning champions from 2025 as well as medal-winning nations from the World Championships and Olympic Games.

Nigeria’s preparations were bolstered by the arrival of sprinter Favour Ashe at the team’s Lagos camp prior to departure, ending uncertainty over his availability following reports linking him with a potential switch of allegiance to Qatar.

Sources within the federation confirmed to our correspondent that Ashe, whose personal best in the 100 metres stands at 9.94s, had earlier held discussions with National Sports Commission director general Bukola Olopade before rejoining the squad.

Ashe has been named in the men’s 4x100m squad alongside Adegoke, James Emmanuel, Chidera Ezeakor and Tejiri Godwin, forming part of a strong sprint relay team expected to challenge for qualification spots.

Team captain Patience Okon-George leads the women’s contingent, with Nigeria fielding squads across the men’s and women’s 4x100m and 4x400m events, as well as the mixed relays.

Chidi Okezie, who is in South Africa for the Simbine Classics, will join from Pretoria while two athletes, Blessing Ogundiran and Rosemary Chukwuma are expected to join the team separately from their respective bases in United States.

With final preparations set to continue upon arrival in Gaborone, Nigeria’s focus remains on delivering strong relay performances and securing qualification for the next phase of global athletics competitions.