This marks the first time the continent will stage the prestigious championship.

Deputy Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Peace Mabe, travelled to Spain with officials from Athletics SA and Western Cape Athletics to officially receive the flag confirming the country as hosts. Speaking to SABC Sport, Mabe expressed her excitement, saying SA is ready to “fly the African flag high.”

The event will attract athletes from around 80 countries and represents the first major global athletics championship in SA since the 1996 World Cross Country Championships in Stellenbosch.

Mabe described the handover as a historic moment in the nation’s sporting calendar, signalling SA’s growing prominence on the global athletics stage.

–ChannelAfrica/SABC–