The Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) held its 31st Ordinary Congress on 14 July 2025 in Abeokuta, Nigeria, adopting several key resolutions to tackle issues undermining growth and development of the sport in Africa.
According to the resolutions seen by AthleticsAfrica, African athletics faces several challenges beyond funding. Lack of adequate athletic tracks in African countries due to FIFA’s removal of athletic tracks from football stadiums remains an issue, while changes in the nationality of top athletes poses a significant challenge.
The CAA Congress also noted that Africans have weak representation in World Athletics governance bodies while many African Member Federations are not complying with CAA regulations.
The Congress supports reforms for fair continental representation on the World Athletics Council, and term limits for CAA leadership have been adopted to promote development.
To address the reduced funding for the African Athletics Development Centres (AADC), Congress tasked the CAA President, Hamad Kalkaba Malboum to engage with stakeholders including World Athletics, FIFA, CAF, National Federations, and African governments to address funding challenges.
The CAA also outlined steps to address weak representation in World Athletics governance. The Congress approved a reform for fair continental representation on the World Athletics Council through fixed quotas to increase African representation.
The CAA requests that World Athletics Council members be elected directly within their continental associations. This change could give the CAA more control over who represents Africa on the World Athletics Council.
These resolutions reflect the CAA’s focus on addressing challenges in African athletics, improving governance, and fostering international cooperation for the sport’s development across the continent.
Key Resolutions:
- The Congress approved the activity and financial reports for recent years.
- Support was given for term limits for World Athletics Council members and Area / Continental Association Presidents, but Congress rejected retroactive implementation.
- The CAA President was mandated to address the challenges facing African athletics, including reduced funding for development centres and the removal of athletics tracks from football stadiums.
- Approval was granted for meetings between CAA leadership and other continental associations to foster development.
- The Congress acknowledged fundraising efforts with the African Development Bank, Rwanda, and Kenya and encouraged expansion to other partners.
- Support was expressed for the CAA President’s role in creating the Association of African Confederations of Olympic Sports (CASOL).
- Preparations for the upcoming African Senior Athletics Championships – Accra 2026 were reviewed and approved.
- The Congress endorsed reforms for fair representation of continental associations on the World Athletics Council.
- Term limits for CAA leadership were adopted in principle to be integrated into future statute modifications.
Meet The Authors
Yomi is the founder and CEO at AthleticsAfrica Inc. - Africa's premier track and field website. A multi award-winning editor, journalism innovator, media trainer, sports and digital transformation consultant.
