World Athletics have appointed Botswana’s Olympic gold medallist and World Athlete of the Year 2024 Letsile Tebogo as an ambassador for its Kids’ Athletics programme, a global initiative that uses the power of athletics to inspire children across the world to be more active.
Tebogo captured the world’s attention when he blazed his way to Olympic 200m glory in Paris in 19.46, making him the fifth-fastest man in history. As a young role model and a champion of the sport, the 21-year-old is committed to using his platform to encourage the next generation to embrace athletics for fun, fitness and personal growth.
Expressing his excitement about the role, Tebogo said: “Athletics has given me so many opportunities, and I want to inspire young people to believe in themselves, dream big and enjoy the sport.
“The Kids’ Athletics programme is about making athletics accessible and fun, and I am honoured to be part of this initiative to help develop future champions – on and off the track.”
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said: “I am always delighted when a talent like Letsile Tebogo emerges through our competition structures. It shows other young talented athletes the pathway.
“Letsile is confident, determined and humble and is already inspiring a whole generation of young potential athletes and children as they learn to make sport part of every day. This is why I am so pleased Letsile has agreed to be an ambassador for Kids’ Athletics.”
The collaboration will involve Tebogo taking part in the Relay Around the World Challenge ahead of this year’s Kids’ Athletics Day – an annual celebration of children being active and participating in athletics – which will take place on 7 May 2025.
This year’s theme, Relay Around the World, is inspired by the upcoming World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, China. The challenge is the biggest, most inclusive Kids’ Athletics participation activity yet, designed to inspire the athletes of tomorrow and get kids moving everywhere.
More information will be released when the campaign launches on 6 April 2025.
About Kids’ Athletics Day
Kids’ Athletics Day is the cornerstone of World Athletics’ Kids’ Athletics programme – a free and exciting programme that uses the power of athletics to inspire children and young people, wherever they are, to be more active, develop their skills and confidence, and to connect with sport for life.
Kids’ Athletics is one of the biggest grassroots development programmes in the world of sport. Since the original Kids Athletics programme was launched in 2002, it has been implemented by more than 150 Member Federations and has reached an estimated cumulative audience of more than 13 million children and young people.
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World Athletics (formerly the International Association of Athletics Federations - IAAF) is the international governing body for the sport of athletics, such as running, jumping and throwing.
