Running News Daily

African athletics has been plunged into mourning following the death of Hamad Kalkaba Malboum, one of the continent’s most respected and influential sports administrators.

The Confederation of African Athletics officially confirmed that Hamad Kalkaba Malboum passed away on May 13, 2026, at the age of 75. Born on November 11, 1950, the veteran Cameroonian sports leader dedicated decades of his life to the growth and transformation of athletics across Africa.

Kalkaba Malboum served as President of the Cameroon Olympic Committee from 2001 and later rose to become President of the Confederation of African Athletics in 2003. He succeeded Lamine Diack after Diack was elected President of the International Association of Athletics Federations, now known as World Athletics.

Throughout his long tenure, Kalkaba Malboum became a towering figure in African sport, guiding the continent’s athletics development with vision, discipline, and unwavering commitment. Under his leadership, African athletics expanded its influence globally, while countless athletes benefited from increased opportunities to compete and excel on the international stage.

His leadership style earned admiration across sporting circles, with many praising his calm diplomacy, administrative strength, and passion for nurturing African talent. He played a key role in elevating the profile of athletics championships within Africa and strengthening the continent’s voice in global sports governance.

The late president had been absent from the recent CAA Council meeting in Accra ahead of the ongoing African Championships due to health complications, raising concern among members of the athletics community.

News of his passing has triggered an outpouring of grief and tributes from athletes, federations, coaches, and sports leaders from across the world, all honoring a man whose impact on African athletics will remain unforgettable.

At the time of his death, Hamad Kalkaba Malboum stood among the most powerful and respected figures in international sports administration. In addition to serving as a World Athletics Council Member and President of the Confederation of African Athletics, he also led the Cameroon National Olympic and Sports Committee while holding several prestigious global positions, including membership in the IOC Sport and Environment Commission, a seat on the Board of the IOC Olympic Truce Foundation, and the role of Senior Vice President of the Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation. His extensive leadership roles reflected the enormous respect and influence he commanded across the world of sport.

His death marks the end of a remarkable era in African sport — a legacy built on service, leadership, and dedication to the advancement of athletics throughout the continent.

May his soul rest in eternal peace. 

The African Athletics Championships in Lagos have been cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, removing another avenue for South African runner Caster Semenya to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.

The event was scheduled for Lagos later this month after Nigeria had stepped in at the last moment to replace Algeria as hosts, but the Nigerian government has disallowed the event due to COVID-19 concerns.

Semenya, who is hoping to qualify for the 3000m and 5000m races, is waiting on a ruling from the European Court of Human Rights over her testosterone-related ban from her preferred races of 800m and 1500m.

She had been intending to use the African Championships to qualify in the 5000m, after failing to do so at a recent meet in Pretoria.

The Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) said on Tuesday: "It is with great regret that we announce the cancellation of the Senior African Championships which were scheduled in Lagos from June 23-27.

"Unfortunately, Nigeria, which pledged to host, has since told us their authorities have not given permission to host such a large-scale competition."

While there are no other plans for continental meetings to allow athletes to obtain the required qualification standards for Tokyo, South African athletes still have a number of opportunities to qualify before the cut off date of June 29.

James Moloi, president of Athletics South Africa, said on Tuesday: "Most of Africa and indeed, the major part of the world, is still being held hostage by the pandemic.

"It's a pity, therefore, that our athletes will not be benefitting from the great competition that the African Champs offer and it's unlikely that there will be another opportunity to host the continental event before the Olympic Games.

"However, this is not entirely a lost course for our athletes who are still looking for competition to qualify for the Games as there are several competitions that are available in our domestic calendar at our ASA provinces."

He added of Semenya's races: "KZN Athletics, for instance, will include the 5000m events in their Middle Distance Meeting [on 18 June]."

Travel restrictions make it difficult for athletes to go to meetings in Europe or the US, leaving many African athletes with few options over the next three weeks.

President of the UAE Athletics Federation Ahmad Al Kamali has been suspended for six months and fined 5,000 euros ($6,080) for gifting watches to delegates in an attempt to win votes, the World Athletics ethics board said on Tuesday.

The Athletics Integrity Unit had provisionally suspended Al Kamali from any athletics-related activities last October, preventing him from standing in election for the vice president’s role at World Athletics, formerly known as the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

World Athletics said in a statement that Al Kamali was alleged to have gifted Rolex and/or UAE branded Continental watches to delegates at the Confederation of African Athletics Congress in 2015 while he was a member of the IAAF Council.

Al Kamali admitted giving watches to the delegates but said the retail value of the gifts did not exceed $40 to $50.

“Mr Al Kamali has been found to have violated the Code of Ethics by his conduct... in giving gifts of more than nominal value and failing to act with dignity and respect for his opponents as a candidate for IAAF office,” World Athletics said in a statement.

“The purpose of the prohibition on giving valuable gifts is to maintain the integrity and impartiality of IAAF officials and of the IAAF as an institution...

“Accordingly, the Panel considers it appropriate to impose a 6 month ban upon Mr Al Kamali from taking part in any athletics-related activity including holding any relevant office in athletics (whether at national, regional or world level).”

Next June the best of Africa’s athletes will converge on the Algerian capital Algiers for the 22nd African Championships in Athletics.

The stakes of the competition are quite high, as it will be one of the last opportunities for the continent’s athletes to achieve qualifying standards for the 2020 Olympic Games.

Meanwhile, the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) has been working in collaboration with the Algerian Athletics Federation (FAA) to organise a successful championships on and off the field.

“We are satisfied, but it is not a surprise for us,” said CAA Director General Lamine Faty, after a recent inspection visit to Algiers. “Each time Algeria commits to organise an African competition, we know that everything will be perfect thanks to the human resources and other capacities at its disposal. To keep it short, we have always found what we are looking for in Algeria.''

The competition, scheduled for 24-28 June, will take place at the 5 July Stadium. The site is undergoing renovations and will have a capacity of 80,000 once repair works are over.

Opened in 1972 by Algerian President Houari Boumediene, the stadium has hosted several major sports events since. It was the main venue for athletics during the 1975 Mediterranean Games, the 1978 and 2007 All Africa Games as well as the 2000 African Championships.

Faty told Algerian media in November that even with the repair work going on at the stadium and its annex, the CAA delegation was “more than satisfied with the progress of the work and also optimistic for the future.”

FAA and CAA officials are keen on ironing out several logistical aspects central to the success of the championships, such as visas and transportation for athletes, officials and journalists, as well as accreditation and protocol procedures.

The organisers want a quality broadcast of the event, to allow a large TV audience to follow the competition in as many African countries as possible.

Another matter of prime importance to the organisers is ensuring that strict anti-doping measures are in place before and during the competition.

Algeria will be hosting the championships for the third time, after Annaba in 1988 and Algiers in 2000.

In 1988, Algeria finished second on the medal table, with just one gold medal less than first place Nigeria with 11 gold. The hosts fared better 12 years later, topping the medal table with 12 gold at the 2000 edition, six more than runners-up Tunisia.

After a lackluster performance during the 2018 championships, however, the race is on for the country’s athletes to improve on the two gold and one bronze won in Asaba, Nigeria, in 2018.

One of those helping to train home athletes for the forthcoming event is former middle-distance runner and now coach Abderrahmane Morceli.

“Our athletes are in very good condition,” says Morceli. “We are preparing very well and they are in very good shape.”

Morceli and his brother Noureddine, the three-time world 1500m champion, are among those coaching Algeria’s athletes, not only for the African championships, but for other competitions planned for 2020 including the African Cross Country Championships in Lome, Togo, and the Tokyo Olympic Games.

These athletes include Taoufik Makhloufi, the 31-year-old middle-distance runner who brought home Algeria’s lone medal – a silver in the men’s 1500m – from the World Championships in Doha earlier this year. There is also Adbelmalik Lahoulou, the reigning African 400m hurdles champion and Yasser Triki, the 22-year-old African Games gold medallist in the long jump.

Morceli says he tries to teach them dedication to hard work and instill in them a thirsty for glory.

“After the junior level, if you want to become an Olympic or world champion you need more conviction and more training camps. We have many, many talented young athletes in Africa that never keep going because they don’t have enough training and enough conviction.”

Morceli is confident in Algeria’s pool of talent however, and says the extra incentive provided by the country’s sports official will spur them to give the best of themselves.

“They have good prize money from the minster (of sports) and the Olympic committee and they have big motivation now.”