Senegal to host Confederation of African Athletics Zone II, U-18 and U-20 Championships

...They tick all the right boxes for a perfect host - CAA Zone II, President Okowa

By Maxwell Kumoye

The alluring, breathtaking and beautiful capital of Senegal has been selected to host the 2025 Confederation of African Athletics (CAA), Zone II, Under-18 and Under-20 Championships.

This piece of information was made public on Monday night, by the President of the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA), Zone II, Chief Tonobok Okowa.

Okowa, who is also the President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), said 'The Land of the Hospitable Lions' got the nod ahead of Nigeria, Guinea and Burkina Faso because CAA Zone II, wants to expand its reach, unite the region through sport and give every West African country a sense of belonging.

“We've hosted CAA Zone II competitions in Benin Republic, Togo and Ghana which are in the West side of the sub region, it's time to give the East side their fair opportunity to create history and add value to a sport we all love and cherish with passion,” Okowa said.

He went on to add that the excellent sporting facilities in Senegal coupled with their very rich sporting heritage is another reason why CAA Zone II, U-18 and U-20 Championships will be staged there.

Okowa said he was elated by the choice of Dakar as host city of the sporting fiesta – a development that followed the Confederation of African Athletics CAA Zone II, evaluation of sporting facilities in the Senegal, the government guarantee and their financial strength.

He said: “Senegal Athletics is a whole lot of energy, with a lot of very resourceful, hospitable and dynamic people, who understand and appreciate the issues around hospitality. It is a country with population that has a lot of diversity.

“We understand there will be a few concerns. As a government, we will give our assurances on all things required to make the event successful. We will ensure adequate security for all participants. We will also be supporting Senegal and Senegal Athletics to ensure seamless transportation, accommodation and crowd management. We will do whatever we can to create an enduring experience for the visitors coming to the CAA Zone II events.”

Chief Tonobok Okowa, told your authoritative and award-winning news channel FIRST ZEALMEDIACAST BLOG, that harnessing the sporting potential of the youths is a key component of his administration’s development agenda, stressing that his administration plans to use athletics and the combined U-18 and U-20 Championships as an engaging tool to create opportunities for young people.

He said: “For us at the Confederation of African Athletics, we will use athletics as an engaging tool to create opportunities for young people to see a growth in their career path and we have started to push this agenda through our member National Associations. We are using athletics as a corrective narrative; an enabler that will make our youths see brighter tomorrow.”

Okowa described the Senegalese government as a “great promoter” of athIetics and sports in general.

Over 500 athletes and officials from 16 countries are expected to compete at the Championships. The last weekend in March is the tentative date for the competition, but Okowa said the CAA Zone II secretariat will fine tune the dates for the event.

Comments

Nigeria backs ANOCA rotation policy as Uganda lands 2031 African Games hosting rights

By Maxwell Kumoye Uganda's emergence as host of the 2031 African Games has been linked to the rotational hosting policy of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA), a framework designed to ensure equitable distribution of the continent's biggest multi-sport event among Africa's regions. Investigations have revealed that the East African nation benefited significantly from the policy, which seeks to spread hosting opportunities across the continent rather than concentrating them in a few countries. The decision is also understood to have been aided by Nigeria's withdrawal from the race, leaving Uganda as the sole candidate for the prestigious event. For Nigeria, supporting the rotational arrangement aligns with the country's longstanding contribution to the growth of the African Games movement. The nation has already hosted the continental showpiece twice, first in Lagos in 1973 and again in Abuja in 2003, making it one of only a handful of c...

Glazer family members studying Manchester United stake sale, Bloomberg News reports

Some Glazer family members have been debating whether ‌to sell their stake in Manchester United FC (MANU.N), opens new tab after more than two decades ⁠of ownership, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. Several stakeholders in the Glazer family have been studying ‌the ⁠possibility of divesting part or all of their holdings in the English ⁠Premier League football club, according to the report. — Reuters

Protests and last-minute construction work disrupt Mexico City ahead of World Cup

Eight days before Mexico City kicks off the World Cup, mass protests by teachers and retired judges, road closures and last-minute construction work caused chaos in the capital on Wednesday for millions of residents who face long delays and complex rerouting of their daily commutes. On June 11, Mexico City will host the inaugural World Cup match between ‌Mexico and South Africa at Azteca stadium in the capital. With Mexico in the global spotlight, teachers and other groups have staged marches and blocked major avenues. They have said their protests, which are unrelated to the tournament, could intensify unless President Claudia Sheinbaum's government addresses their demands. The CNTE, a dissident wing of the national teachers' union, has threatened mass demonstrations at the opening of the World Cup in official statements shared on social media. The union is demanding the government fulfill a campaign pledge to repeal a 2007 law that overhauled the pension and ⁠social securit...

Iran to play World Cup warm-up behind closed doors, head to Mexico on Saturday

Iran will play their final World Cup warm-up behind closed doors in Turkey on Thursday before departing for their tournament base in Mexico on Saturday, the Iranian FA (FFIRI) said on Wednesday. Although it was one of the first teams to ‌qualify, Iran's participation in the World Cup has been in doubt since the U.S. and Israel launched air strikes on the Islamic Republic in late February. The squad have played three friendlies in two training camps in Antalya since the start of the war - losing to Nigeria and beating Costa Rica and Gambia - and on Thursday will face Mali ⁠in the Turkish sea resort. "Considering the importance of the Iranian national football team's friendly match against Mali, and in line with the tactical objectives of Iran's head coach, tomorrow's match against Mali will be held behind closed doors and without media attendance," FFIRI said in a statement. The FFIRI persuaded FIFA to allow the team to swap its tournament base from Tucson, A...

Z-PRO MEDIA

Search This Blog