The Zambia Amateurs Athletics Association (ZAAA) President, Elias Mpondela is making a bid to host the 2026 Senior Athletics Championships (SAC).
In an interview with Lusaka Star, Mpondela expressed the association’s commitment to improving athletics in the country and stressed the importance of enhancing sports infrastructure to achieve this goal.
Mpondela highlighted the recent success of hosting the under 18/20 African Championships, which has provided more opportunities for the association.
The positive feedback and recognition received for hosting the African Championships further motivated ZAAA to pursue the hosting of the SAC.
“The African Championships we hosted had been acclaimed as one of the best in the category of youth and junior,” stated Mpondela.
Youth, Sports and Arts Minister, Elvis Nkandu encouraged ZAAA to proceed with their bid to host the SAC, recognizing it as an opportunity to improve sports infrastructure in the country.
Nkandu emphasized that infrastructure development is a government responsibility, and hosting international events goes hand in hand with upgrading sports facilities.
“Very soon we will start rehabilitating Heroes Stadium to international standards because that is what the government wants to host such a tournament,” assured Minister Nkandu.
Nkandu further assured ZAAA that both Heroes Stadium and Levy Mwanawasa Stadium are adequate venues for hosting the SAC.
He expressed confidence that bidding for such a prestigious tournament would motivate the government to invest more in infrastructure development, ultimately leading to the production of more high-quality athletes.
Co-Written with Yvonne Mweemba