Football is the most popular sport in Botswana, with qualification for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations being the national team’s highest achievement to date. Other popular sports are cricket, tennis, rugby, badminton, softball, handball, golf, and track and field.
Botswana is an associate member of the International Cricket Council. Botswana became a member of The International Badminton Federation and Africa Badminton Federation in 1991.
The Botswana Golf Union offers an amateur golf league in which golfers compete in tournaments and championships.
Botswana won the country’s first Olympic medal in 2012 when runner Nijel Amos won silver in the 800 metres. In 2011, Amantle Montsho became world champion in the 400 metres and won Botswana’s first athletics medal on the world level. High jumper Kabelo Kgosiemang is a three time African champion.
The card game bridge has a strong following; it was first played in Botswana over 30 years ago, and it grew in popularity during the 1980s.
Many British expatriate school teachers informally taught the game in Botswana’s secondary schools.
The Botswana Bridge Federation (BBF) was founded in 1988 and continues to organise tournaments. Bridge has remained popular and the BBF has over 800 members. In 2007, the BBF invited the English Bridge Union to host a week-long teaching program in May 2008.
