Formation 15 March 1975 Membership 20 member federations | Type Sports federation Website www.arabathletics.org | |
President Suleiman Awwad al-Zaidi | ||
The Arab Athletics Federation (Arabic: الاتحاد العربي لالعاب القوى) is an international governing body for the sport of athletics.
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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. Suleiman Awwad al-Zaidi of Saudi Arabia is the current president.
The organisation's foremost event, the biennial Arab Athletics Championships, was held two years after its formation. A year later the Arab Cross Country Championships was established The Arab Junior Athletics Championships followed in 1984, and the Arab Youth Athletics Championships was founded in 2004. The federation also supports a circuit of track and field meetings to promote qualification into its championships.
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).