Ghana’s Minister for Sports and Recreation, Hon. Kofi Iddie Adams, has made a direct appeal to World Athletics President Lord Sebastian Coe for Africa to be given the opportunity to host a World Athletics Championships, pledging that the continent will back whichever country gets the nod.
Speaking at the Confederation of African Athletics [CAA] Council meeting on Sunday, May 10, at the African Regent Hotel in Accra, Adams urged African nations to speak with “one voice” on the issue.
“We may have our athletes competing under individual national flags, but when we meet as a federation like this, I want us to speak with one voice,” Adams told delegates.
He pointed to Africa’s recent track record of hosting global athletics events as proof of readiness. Kenya successfully hosted the World U20 Championships, Uganda staged a World Cross Country Championships, and Botswana recently organized the World Relays.
“Listening to the President of World Athletics and having given opportunity to Africa to host the U-20 competition in the past, it will give us indication that, with just a minimal federal support, Africa is ready to host the World Championship,” he said.
Adams gave a firm commitment that Ghana would stand behind any African country selected to host.
“I can assure you, we are prepared as individual countries in the continent to support any African country that is given the opportunity to host the World Championship. We will not leave that country alone. We will join hands with that country to have a successful event that will go in history as an event that has never really been organized by any country before,” he said.
The minister said the push was about more than just hosting rights. He called for collective work to improve sports infrastructure across the continent and to ensure Africa’s voice in global athletics is unified.
Responding, World Athletics President Lord Sebastian Coe acknowledged Africa’s central role in the sport’s history and future.
“If you look at the history and the contribution that African athletes have made in the last 50 years, including in my career, my career was in large part defined by fantastic African athletes,” Coe said. “Your future is strong and your history and your past is very strong. And that’s a very good platform to build on.”
Coe noted that Africa’s importance is reflected in World Athletics’ leadership, with all four vice presidents currently present at the Accra meeting.
“And I know at World Athletics, and the very fact that all four vice presidents are here, Africa is a very, very important continent to us. We want more events here, and we want to give you the opportunity to build local knowledge and human capacity in taking these events forward,” he said.
Africa has never hosted a World Athletics Championships in its 40-year history. The continent’s most recent global events have been at the U20, Cross Country, and Relays level.
