| African Southern Region Athletics Championships | |
|---|---|
| Genre | outdoortrack and field |
| Frequency | biennial |
| Venue | varies |
| Participants | Southern African nations |
| Organised by | Confederation of African Athletics |
TheAfrican Southern Region Athletics Championships is a biennial international outdoortrack and field competition betweenSouthern African nations, organised by theConfederation of African Athletics (CAA). Typically held over two days in June or July, it was established in 1995 and replaced theAfrican Zone VI Championships.[1] It is one of four regional championships organised by the CAA, alongside theNorth,East andWest African Athletics Championships.[2][3][4]
The competition is one of three senior athletics championships organised for the region, alongside theAfrican Southern Region Cross Country Championships (held same year as the track and field meet)[5] and theAfrican Southern Region Half Marathon Championships (held annually).[6] There is also an age category counterpart to the competition, in the form of theAfrican Southern Region U18/U20 Athletics Championships, which is held in even-numbered years,[7][8] and theCossasa Games – an athletics competition for Southern African students organised by the Confederation of School Sport Associations of Southern Africa.[9]
The competition is used as preparation by athletes who have been selected for theWorld Championships in Athletics, which takes place one to two months after the regional championships.[10] Each edition of the championships attracts around a dozen countries and around 600 athletes in total.[11]
The 2019 event was due to be hosted inJohannesburg, South Africa, butAthletics South Africa cancelled the event due to financial issues stemming from the legal case against theIAAF's testosterone rules.[12]
| Edition | Year | City | Country | Date | Nations | Athletes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1995 | Harare | Zimbabwe | [1] | ||
| 2 | 1997 | Durban | South Africa | [1] | ||
| 3 | 1999 | Harare | Zimbabwe | [1] | ||
| 4 | 2000 | Harare | Zimbabwe | [1] | ||
| 5 | 2001 | Harare | Zimbabwe | 30 June – 1 July | [1][13] | |
| 6 | 2003 | Lusaka | Zambia | 7–8 June | [1][14] | |
| 7 | 2005 | Harare | Zimbabwe | 2–3 July | [10] | |
| 8 | 2007 | Windhoek | Namibia | 26–27 May | [15] | |
| 9 | 2009 | Gaborone | Botswana | 30–31 May | 11 | ~600[11][16][17] |
| 10 | 2011 | Maputo | Mozambique | 2–3 July | [18] | |
| 11 | 2013 | Gaborone | Botswana | 1–2 June | [19][20] | |
| 12 | 2015 | Reduit,Moka | Mauritius | 12–13 June | [21] | |
| 13 | 2017 | Harare | Zimbabwe | 10–11 June | [22] | |
| 14 | 2019 | Reduit,Moka | Mauritius | 5–6 July | [23] |
The competition programme features 32 regularathletics events: seven track running events, two obstacle events, three jumps, and four throws for both the sexes.[1]
3000 metres steeplechase,pole vault, and women's distance events are held irregularly due to a lack of entrants and organisational barriers.