African Southern Region Athletics Championships Explained

African Southern Region Athletics Championships
Genre:	outdoor track and field
Frequency:	biennial
Venue:	varies
Participants:	Southern African nations
Organised:	Confederation of African Athletics

The African Southern Region Athletics Championships is a biennial international outdoor track and field competition between Southern African nations, organised by the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA). Typically held over two days in June or July, it was established in 1995 and replaced the African Zone VI Championships.^[1] It is one of four regional championships organised by the CAA, alongside the North, East and West African Athletics Championships.^[2] ^[3] ^[4]

The competition is one of three senior athletics championships organised for the region, alongside the African Southern Region Cross Country Championships (held same year as the track and field meet)^[5] and the African Southern Region Half Marathon Championships (held annually).^[6] There is also an age category counterpart to the competition, in the form of the African Southern Region U18/U20 Athletics Championships, which is held in even-numbered years,^[7] ^[8] and the Cossasa 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 the World Championships in Athletics, which takes place one to two months after the regional championships. Each edition of the championships attracts around a dozen countries and around 600 athletes in total.^[10]

The 2019 event was due to be hosted in Johannesburg, South Africa, but Athletics South Africa cancelled the event due to financial issues stemming from the legal case against the IAAF's testosterone rules.^[11]

Editions

Edition	Year	Country	Date	Nations	Athletes
1	1995	Zimbabwe
2	1997	South Africa
3	1999	Zimbabwe
4	2000	Zimbabwe
5	2001	Zimbabwe	30 June – 1 July		^[12]
6	2003	Zambia	7–8 June		^[13]
7	2005	Zimbabwe	2–3 July		^[14]
8	2007	Namibia	26–27 May		^[15]
9	2009	Botswana	30–31 May	11	~600 ^[16] ^[17]
10	2011	Mozambique	2–3 July		^[18]
11	2013	Botswana	1–2 June		^[19] ^[20]
12	2015	Mauritius	12–13 June		^[21]
13	2017	Zimbabwe	10–11 June		^[22]
14	2019	Mauritius	5–6 July		^[23]

Events

The competition programme features 32 regular athletics events: seven track running events, two obstacle events, three jumps, and four throws for both the sexes.^[1]

Track running

100 metres, 200 metres, 400 metres, 800 metres, 1500 metres, 5000 metres, 10,000 metres

Obstacle events

100 metres hurdles (women only), 110 metres hurdles (men only), 400 metres hurdles,

Jumping events

High jump, long jump, triple jump

Throwing events

Shot put, discus throw, javelin throw, hammer throw

3000 metres steeplechase, pole vault, and women's distance events are held irregularly due to a lack of entrants and organisational barriers.

Men's champions

100 metres

1995:
1997:
1999:
2000:
2001:
2003:
2005:

200 metres

1995:
1997:
1999:
2000:
2001:
2003:
2005:

400 metres

1995:
1997:
1999:
2000:
2001:
2003:
2005:

800 metres

1995:
1997:
1999:
2000:
2001:
2003:
2005:

1500 metres

1995:
1997:
1999:
2000: Unknown
2001:
2003:
2005:

5000 metres

1995:
1997:
1999:
2000:
2001:
2003:
2005:

10,000 metres

1995:
1997:
1999:
2000: Not held
2001:
2003:
2005:

3000 metres steeplechase

1995:
1997:

110 metres hurdles

1995:
1997:
1999:
2000:
2001: Not held
2003:
2005:

400 metres hurdles

1995:
1997:
1999:
2000:
2001:
2003:
2005:

High jump

1995:
1997:
1999:
2000:
2001:
2003:
2005:

Pole vault

1995:
1997: Not held
1999:
2000:

Long jump

1995:
1997:
1999:
2000:
2001:
2003:
2005:

Triple jump

1995:
1997:
1999:
2000:
2001:
2003:
2005:

Shot put

1995:
1997:
1999:
2000:
2001:
2003:
2005:

Discus throw

1995:
1997:
1999:
2000:
2001:
2003:
2005:

Hammer throw

1995:
1997:
1999:
2000: Not held
2001:

Javelin throw

1995:
1997:
1999:
2000:
2001:
2003:
2005:

4 × 100 metres relay

1995: Zimbabwe
1997: South Africa
1999: Botswana
2000: Mauritius
2001: Zimbabwe
2003: Zimbabwe
2005: Mauritius

4 × 400 metres relay

1995: Botswana
1997: South Africa
1999: Botswana
2000: Zimbabwe
2001: Botswana
2003: Zimbabwe
2005: Botswana

Women's champions