[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.

[7] Botswana received a Universality invitation from FINA to send two swimmers (one male and one female) to the Olympics, signifying the nation's return to the sport for the second time in history (the first being done in 2008).