As the 22nd National Sports Festival ended in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Thursday night, attention has shifted to 3rd edition of the Confederations of African Athletics (CAA) African U18/U20 combined championships. It will hold in Abeokuta, Ogun State from July 16 to 20, 2025.
Nigeria was selected as the new host city for the the biennial junior athletics championships, which is expected to draw more than 500 young competitors from the continent to the West African nation.
The 3rd CAA African U18/U20 Combined Championships was scheduled to hold in Oran, Algeria, but was later moved to Nigeria for ‘various reasons.’ Already, CAA officials have visited Abeokuta, where they inspected facilities, including hotels for the championships. The inspection team, led by CAA Director General, Lamine Faty of Senegal and CAA Technical and Development Director, Aziz Daouda, inspected facilities at the MKO Abiola Sports Arena, including the tartan track, which was used for the 22nd National Sports Festival.
The following day, the inspection team visited 12 hotels in search of 800 beds. The hotels inspected include Green Legecy Resorts, Academy Suites, AA Entertainment and Tourism, Metro Hotel, Keem Hotel, Richton Hotel, Continental Hotel, Abiis Hotel IBD International and H3 Hotel .
The team, which operated from the Conference Hotel, later addressed journalists, with CAA Director General, Lamine Faty, scoring all the facilities high.
He said: “I must express my sincere appreciation to our Nigerian hosts. They have proven beyond doubt that they will be an excellent host. We had a comfortable stay and we were provided with the best conditions to do our work. I can see that Abeokuta is ready to host the continent come July this year.”
The Chairman of the Local Organising Committee, Hon. Bukola Olopade, who is also the Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), said that all focus would now be on the CAA championships since the assignment of the National Sports Festival is completed.
