| Events at the 2008 African Championships in Athletics  | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Track events | ||||
| 100 m | men | women | ||
| 200 m | men | women | ||
| 400 m | men | women | ||
| 800 m | men | women | ||
| 1500 m | men | women | ||
| 5000 m | men | women | ||
| 10,000 m | men | women | ||
| 100 m hurdles | women | |||
| 110 m hurdles | men | |||
| 400 m hurdles | men | women | ||
| 3000 m steeplechase | men | women | ||
| 4×100 m relay | men | women | ||
| 4×400 m relay | men | women | ||
| Road events | ||||
| 20 km walk | men | women | ||
| Field events | ||||
| High jump | men | women | ||
| Pole vault | men | women | ||
| Long jump | men | women | ||
| Triple jump | men | women | ||
| Shot put | men | women | ||
| Discus throw | men | women | ||
| Hammer throw | men | women | ||
| Javelin throw | men | women | ||
| Combined events | ||||
| Heptathlon | women | |||
| Decathlon | men | |||
The men's high jump event at the 2008 African Championships in Athletics was held at the Addis Ababa Stadium on May 4.
The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern most practised format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat for landing. In the modern era, athletes run towards the bar and use the Fosbury Flop method of jumping, leaping head first with their back to the bar. Since ancient times, competitors have introduced increasingly effective techniques to arrive at the current form.
The 16th African Championships in Athletics was held in Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia, from April 30 to May 4, 2008. The competition venue was the Addis Ababa Stadium. It is the largest Athletics event held in Ethiopia to date. It was the first time in its then 29-year history the African Championships in Athletics were held in Eastern Africa, despite the region's well-documented success in long-distance running.
Addis Ababa Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It is used mostly for football matches although it also has athletics facilities. The stadium has a capacity of 35,000 people.
