Confederation of African Athletics:

Kalkaba, Odogwu Re-elected To Lead African Athletics

Cameroonian Hamad Kalkaba Malboum was yesterday re-elected for a third, four-year term as president of the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA).

The retired army and his entire team that includes Nigeria’s Violet Odogwu-Nwajei (vice president) were unanimously returned unopposed for the fresh mandate that will see them through 2014 in the CAA Council.

Interestingly, the 22nd Congress of the CAA, which held at the Hotel Mont Febe in Yaounde, Cameroon, also threw the support of its 53-member nations behind the re-election bid of Senegalese Lamine Diack for another term as IAAF president. Diack who took over from Italian Primo Nebiolo as czar of world athletics after serving for several years as vice president is angling for his last term before retiring from the administration of the sport.

Speaking to the general council, Diack harped on the need for the continent to speak with one voice and always act as one big family. He was particularly happy that the general assembly saw the need in continuity by allowing the entire executive return for another term in office to continue the job of lifting the sport in the continent to meet the global challenge.

For the African continent to continue to have quality stars, Diack advocated for the return of track & field to schools.

“There is the need to bring back athletics to the schools. It was like that in the past. I am a product of the school system. As a young boy, I was a very good footballer for my school while at the same time champion in sprint and long jump. The basketball coaches also wanted me due to my skills. There were several others like that and so there was always a reservoir for bringing fresh talents. But unfortunately that is not the situation anymore in several countries in the continent,” observed the Senegalese who is aiming to retire into writing books on his experience running global track & field.

Those elected into the CAA Council include:

Hamad Kalkaba Malboum- President, Vivian Gungaram-Vice President, Violet Odogwu Nwajei-Vice President, Theophile Montcho - Vice President, David Okeyo  -Vice President, Hachicha - Vice President, Alhadji Dodou Joof- Treasurer and Lamine Faty as Secretary General.

While members are Abdurrahmane Belaid, Sarifa Abdul Magide Fagiide, Sidiq Ahmad Ibrahim, Emmanuel M’pioh, Hissene Ngaro, Beatrice Ayikoru, Dr. Harold Adams

And Pascal Sawadogo.

All the six regional presidents are also members of the CAA Council.