Stakeholders feel Africa is ripe to host a major sporting event after proving its capacity in recent years.
Stakeholders believe Africa is ripe enough to host major international championships, especially the Commonwealth Games and must be given priority going forward.
The stakeholders, drawn from the Commonwealth countries of Africa and Europe, are in Mombasa for a three-day productive discussion on Commonwealth Sports Strategy as well as charting the course towards 2026 Games and beyond.
"We are ready for the challenge to host the 1st Commonwealth Games in Africa, why not? We need to start believing in ourselves to host World Cups and Commonwealth Games. We're hosting the Youth Olympic Games, Why not host the Olympic Games?" the stakeholders quipped.
The stakeholders said Africa learnt valuable lessons in the recently-concluded Paris Olympics and will use the knowledge gained to help athletes develop in order to continue with their medal-hunting exploits.
"Looking back at the Paris Olympic Games, we have to think strategically heading to 2026 Commonwealth Games, how to not only get more medals but support our athletes both abled and differently abled, supporting emerging sports and shine as the host nation."
The 2026 edition of the competition will be held in Glasgow, Scotland. The quadrennial showpiece returns to the country 12 years after it last hosted the competition in 2014.
Commonwealth 100m champion Ferdinand Omanyala was in attendance as a representative of the future of Africa Sprints.
Some of Kenya's memorable moments in sports on the world stage have also come from the Commonwealth Games. The most recent was when Mary Moraa produced an incredible finishing kick to overtake home favourites Keely Hodgkinson and Laura Muir to win gold in Birmingham 2022.
Since 1998, Kenya has won 20 of all the 21 medals on offer in the men's steeplechase at the Commonwealth Games and nine of the 15 available since the women's steeplechase was introduced in the Games' program in 2006.
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