Senegal to host Confederation of African Athletics Zone 11 U-18, U-20 Championships

Okowa, who is also the President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), said country got the nod ahead of Nigeria, Guinea and Burkina Faso because CAA Zone II, wants to expand its reach, unite the region through sports 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 Western 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 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 responsible organisation 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.”

Okowa further stated 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.