Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
Kids’ Athletics Day is celebrating its fifth anniversary by aiming to inspire at least 700,000 more children to engage in athletics, raising total participation to two million worldwide since its inception in 2022. The initiative encourages children to get active through fun, inclusive, and age-appropriate events organized annually, primarily on May 7. The 2026 theme emphasizes the number five, reflecting five years of the program’s impact and promoting celebration and connection among young participants.
In Botswana, Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo served as a Kids’ Athletics ambassador, joining about 50 local children in a special event coinciding with the Debswana World Athletics Relays in Gaborone. Activities focused on movement and relay-inspired challenges to motivate participation. The Botswana Athletics Association also hosted a Kids’ Athletics Day festival for over 400 children near the National Stadium, allowing them to attend the World Relays. Some children participated directly as baton kids in 4x400m races, handing over batons and interacting with professional athletes.
Uganda currently tops the global leaderboard for Kids’ Athletics Day events, with more than 37,000 children involved in 22 activities across the country within the first six days of the May campaign period. Federations worldwide continue logging events and activities through the end of May, contributing to the effort to increase children’s participation in athletics.