President of World Athletics, Sebastian Coe, has delivered a ringing endorsement of Africa’s growing influence in global athletics during his visit to the ongoing African Athletics Championships in Accra, Ghana.
The former Olympic champion expressed delight at being present at the continental showpiece, while urging African nations to continue bidding for world-class events as a pathway to accelerate development and global relevance.
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An Outstanding World Relays – President Sebastian
Reflecting on the recently concluded World Relays in Gaborone, Botswana, Coe praised the continent for taking centre stage in the global athletics calendar.
“We’ve just witnessed an outstanding World Relays in Botswana and I think that probably shows that Africa, certainly last weekend, was at the heart of the global calendar.”
“I’m delighted to be here, delighted that I spent.”
His remarks highlight a growing recognition of Africa not just as a source of talent, but as a capable host of elite international competitions.
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More Than Medals, Building the Future
Beyond competition, Coe emphasized that the true growth of athletics lies in developing people and systems, not just hosting championships.
“There are lots of things beyond championships that is important in a sport and that is about the building of human capacity, it’s about the ability to engage and encourage more young people into our sport.”
He stressed that sustainable progress depends on:
- Investing in young athletes
- Strengthening grassroots participation
- Building technical expertise across the continent
Call for stronger African representation
A major point in Coe’s address was the need for Africa to be properly represented at global events, not only through athletes but also through officials and organisers.
“It’s the ability to make sure that Africa is represented properly when we are staging events anywhere in the world with our technical officials, with our coaches, with our ability to stage events.”
“And it’s really important that when an event goes anywhere in the world that it is being supported by the whole of the sport and that also was a part of the discussions we had at the council.”
This, he noted, is key to ensuring Africa’s voice is fully integrated into the global athletics ecosystem.
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“I’m Really Happy To Be Here” – Athletics President
Clearly impressed by the atmosphere and organisation in Accra, Coe concluded on a positive note, reaffirming his support for the continent.
“So I’m really, really happy to be here.”
With major competitions now being hosted on African soil and increased global attention on the continent, the continent must not only produce champions, it must also host, lead, and shape the future of global athletics.
And judging by recent events, that future is already taking shape.
