— Botswana is celebrating its gold medals in the World Athletics Championships with a public holiday. The day off, declared for Monday, September 29, 2025, falls between the weekend and the Botswana Day festivities, creating a rare five-day break ending Wednesday.
President Duma Gideon Boko announced the one-time holiday to honor Botswana’s victories in the men’s 400m and the men’s 4×400m relay at the tournament in Tokyo this September. “Botswana’s natural diamonds are not just in the ground, they are our World Champion athletes,” he said, referencing the country’s biggest export.
Botswana’s 4×400 relay gold is the first-ever gold for any African nation in this event. Botswana had previously won gold in the women’s 400m sprint in the 2011 Championship.