Oran Olympic Complex To Host African Senior Championship

The Federation of African Athletics (FAA) and Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) are gearing up to elevate the 22nd Africa Senior Championships to new heights. This continental sporting event aims to increase its visibility on both national and international stages.

Beyond being a sporting competition, this event is designed as a grand African celebration. It offers a platform for the continent’s top athletes to showcase their talent and shine brightly.

In the lead-up to the Tokyo Olympic Games, the event in Oran presents a golden opportunity for African athletes. Some will use this platform to participate in high-level competition, while others will strive to meet the required standards. The Oran Olympic Complex is set to host this prestigious African Senior Championship.

In response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the CAA consented to postpone the African Athletics Championships (AAC), initially scheduled for June 2020 in Algiers, until 2021. Now, the Championships are set to take place in May or June this year, with the exact dates from 1st – 5th June yet to be confirmed.

The 40,000-seat Olympic stadium at the Oran Olympic Complex has recently seen the completion of its lighting system installation. This milestone has enabled technical testing to commence at the new stadium, which will host the 2021 CAA African Athletics Championships (AAC) from 1-5 June in Oran, Algeria.

About Oran City

Oran, a port city located in northwest Algeria, is famed as the birthplace of rai folk music. The city is home to several historical and cultural landmarks, including the Ottoman-era Fort Santa Cruz and the whitewashed Chapelle Santa Cruz, built after a cholera epidemic. The old town, La Blanca, houses the 18th-century Pacha Mosque and the Ottoman Palace, Kasr El Bey.

Boasting an average temperature of 26.2 degrees Celsius in August and 11.8 degrees Celsius in January, Oran experiences a range of weather conditions throughout the year. The city, sitting at an altitude of 116.71m, is considered Algeria’s second most important city after the capital, Algiers. As of the 2019 population census, Oran is home to approximately 1.468 million residents.

The Oran Olympic Stadium, a multi-purpose facility located in the suburb of Belgaid, Bir El Djir, was completed in 2019. Primarily used for football matches, the stadium, with a capacity of 40,143, is the home of MC Oran and replaced their current Ahmed Zabana Stadium.