THE Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) has described Zambia’s hosting of the combined 2023 CAA U-18 and U-20 championship in Ndola as a success.
CAA president Hamad Kalkaba said the five-day championships which were held at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium featuring athletes from over 50 countries exposed the real pool of Africa’s talent.
Kalkaba hailed all the stakeholders who worked tirelessly to deliver a successful event which announced the arrival of future stars. “We can now rejoice. We can jump for joy. We can congratulate each other and be proud of it because our continent Africa is a real pool of talent in the field of athletics. Over the past five days, we have seen proof of this through the performances of our young athletes from all our five regions,” Kalkaba said.
“There is an obvious reason to happily express our satisfaction and all the joy that inspires us as sports leaders after the success of this second edition of our U-18 and U-20 African athletics championships. This success we owe it to several actors who have worked tirelessly for us to achieve it,” he said.
Kalkaba thanked the Zambian authorities who at all levels especially at the highest level spared no expense in offering young African athletes a warm welcome “in the magnificent city of Ndola, while ensuring them a particular pleasant stay and a framework of competitions conducive to the development of their talent.”
The Senegalese who retained the CAA presidency during the elective annual general meeting held in Lusaka last week also congratulated the young athletes themselves who expressed their talents throughout the competition in a spirit of fair play, respect for the opponent for a healthy competition devoid of any cheating.
Meanwhile, Copperbelt Province Minister Elisha Matambo praised CAA for giving Zambia the opportunity to host the games which gave the country an opportunity to prove its capabilities.
Matambo took the opportunity to encourage the over 50 countries that had visited Zambia for the games to explore the country’s investment and tourism potential.
And Zambia Athletics (ZA) president Elias Mpondela commended the government and sponsors such as Zanaco for the support which made it possible to deliver a successful championship. Mpondela noted that the youth championship was a success despite Zambian athletes having struggled with only eight medals collected from over 100 athletes.
He called for more investment to promote the growth of athletics on the continent.
