| Botswana at the 2016 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IOC code | BOT |
| NOC | Botswana National Olympic Committee |
| in Rio de Janeiro | |
| Competitors | 12 in 3 sports |
| Flag bearer | Nijel Amos[1] |
| Medals |
|
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
Botswana competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, from 5 to 21 August 2016. This was the nation's tenth consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympics.
Botswana National Olympic Committee sent the nation's largest delegation to the Games. A total of 12 athletes, 9 men and 3 women, were selected to compete only in athletics, judo, and swimming. The nation's team was relatively larger by two-thirds of its size from London 2012, where Botswana registered only four athletes.[2]
Among the Botswana athletes on the team were freestyle swimmer Naomi Ruele, and middle-distance runner Nijel Amos, who built a historic milestone as the nation's first ever Olympic medalist, earning a silver in the men's 800 metres. The most successful athlete from London 2012, Amos was selected to lead the team as Botswana's flag bearer into the opening ceremony.[1]
Botswana, however, left Rio de Janeiro without a single medal, failing to reproduce it from the previous Games. The men's 4 × 400 m relay squad, led by top sprinter Isaac Makwala, came close to adding another medal for Botswana, but finished fifth in the final.[3]
- ^ a b "Amos Botswana flag bearer". Botswana Daily News. 5 August 2016. Archived from the original on 20 September 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
- ^ Mouwane, Tumelo (23 May 2016). "Two More Athletes Qualify For Rio". Mmegi. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
- ^ Klein, Alyssa (20 August 2016). "Botswana Came Heartbreakingly Close to Winning a Medal in the Men's 4×400 Relay". OkayAfrica.com. Retrieved 12 September 2016.