Arab Athletics Federation

Arab Athletics Federation
الاتحاد العربي لالعاب القوى
Formation15 March 1975
TypeSports federation
Membership
20 member federations
President
Suleiman Awwad al-Zaidi
Websitewww.arabathletics.org

The Arab Athletics Federation (Arabic: الاتحاد العربي لالعاب القوى) is an international governing body for the sport of athletics.

It was founded on 15 March 1975 at a conference of Arab nations in Rabat, Morocco, with the aim of improving the quality of the sport in the Arab world and foster greater international co-operation within the region. The constitution of the federation ensures that there are a president and two vice-presidents – one from an Asian Arab country and the other from an African Arab country. It also recognises and works with the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), the Asian Athletics Association and the Confederation of African Athletics.[1] Suleiman Awwad al-Zaidi of Saudi Arabia is the current president.[2]

The organisation's foremost event, the biennial Arab Athletics Championships, was held two years after the federation's formation.[3] A year later, the Arab Cross Country Championships was established. The Arab Junior Athletics Championships followed in 1984,[4] and the Arab Youth Athletics Championships was founded in 2004.[5] The federation also supports a circuit of track and field meetings to promote qualification into its championships.[6]

The organisation also publishes an athletics periodical covering news of Arab athletes and competitions: Arab Hero Magazine (Arabic: مجلة البطل العربي, Al Batal Al Arabi).[7]

  1. ^ النظام الأساسي واللوائح Archived 2015-06-27 at the Wayback Machine (in Arabic). Arab Athletics Federation. Retrieved on 2015-05-25.
  2. ^ H.H behalf of His Majesty King opening tournament by nasser bin hamad : Khalid bin Hamad welcomes Arab brothers and emphasizes the role of the Arab Union in the development of athletics. Khalid Bin Hamad (2015-04-25). Retrieved on 2015-05-25.
  3. ^ Arab Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2015-05-25.
  4. ^ Pan Arab Junior Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2015-05-25.
  5. ^ Pan Arab Youth Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2015-05-25.
  6. ^ Arab athletics championships: 12 Algerians qualify for Bahrain tournament . Algeria Press Service (2015-04-05). Retrieved on 2015-05-25.
  7. ^ مجلة البطل العربي Archived 2015-05-26 at the Wayback Machine (in Arabic). Arab Athletics Federation. Retrieved on 2015-05-25.