Abderrahmane Hammad Zaheer is the Algerian Minister of Youth and Sports and a former track and field athlete who competed in the high jump. He represented his country at the Summer Olympics in 2000, taking the bronze medal and made a second appearance at the 2004 Athens Olympics. His personal best of 2.34 m is the Algerian record for the event. He retired from the sport in 2010. In 2020, he became the President of the Algerian Olympic Committee. Hammad was appointed as minister on 16 March 2023.
Adhemar Ferreira da Silva was a Brazilian triple jumper. He won two Olympic gold medals and set four world records, the last being 16.56 metres in 1955 Pan American Games. In his early career he also competed in the long jump, placing fourth at the 1951 Pan American Games. He broke world records in triple jump on five occasions during his illustrious career. To date, he remains the only track and field athlete from South America to have won two Olympic gold medals.
At the 2007 Pan Arab Games, the athletics events were held at the Military Academy Stadium in Cairo, Egypt from 21 to 24 November. A total of 46 events were contested, of which 23 by male and 23 by female athletes. Morocco was the most successful nation in the competition, taking ten gold medals in a 23-medal haul. Sudan and Tunisia won the second and third greatest number of golds with 8 and 7. The host country, Egypt, achieved six gold medals but also shared the joint highest total medal count with Morocco. Seven Games records were beaten at the 2007 edition of the event.
At the 2004 Pan Arab Games, the athletics events were held at the Stade 5 Juillet 1962 in Algiers, Algeria from 4 to 8 October. A total of 45 events were contested, of which 23 by male and 22 by female athletes. The host country topped the medal table having won a 16 gold medals and 34 medals overall. Second placed Morocco, with seven golds, had the greatest number of medals overall with a total of 35. Tunisia was third with sixteen medals in total, seven of which were gold. Eleven new Games records were set over the course of the five-day competition.
Lotfi Khaïda is a retired Algerian long jumper and triple jumper.
Tejitu Daba Chalchissa is an Ethiopian-born long-distance runner who competes internationally for Bahrain. She competes mainly in cross country and track running events. She won the gold medal over 5000 metres at the 2011 Asian Athletics Championships.
Ahmad Hassan Moussa is a Qatari decathlete. He represented his country at the 2004 Summer Olympics and is a two time Asian Champion in the event.
At the 2011 Pan Arab Games, the athletics events are currently being held at Khalifa Stadium in Doha, Qatar from 15 to 20 December. A total of 45 events are to be contested, comprising 23 men's events and 22 for female athletes. The track and field events took place within the stadium while the half marathon was contested on a specially-designed course around the Aspire Zone. The shorter track events have a two-round format with qualifying heats and a final race, while the long-distance races and throwing events are contested in a straight final format with no qualifying rounds. In addition to the elite level programme, a total of 30 para-athletics events were contested between athletes with a disability on 21 and 22 December, comprising 25 men's events and five women's events.
Saleh Abdelaziz Alhaddad is a Kuwaiti track and field athlete who specialises in the long jump. He holds the Kuwaiti records for the event with bests of 7.94 m indoors and 8.02 m outdoors. He also holds the national best for the 60 metres, with his time of 6.78 seconds. He represented Kuwait at the global level at the 2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships and the 2003 World Youth Championships in Athletics.
Mohamed Younis Idris is a Sudanese athlete specialising in the high jump. He represented his country at the 2013 World Championships without qualifying for the final. In addition, he has won multiple medals on regional level.
Mourad Mahour Ahmed Bacha is an Algerian former track and field athlete who competed in the decathlon and javelin throw. Bacha was among the foremost African and Arab decathletes in the 1980s and early 1990s.
Abderrahmane Tamada is a Tunisian former track and field athlete who competed in the pole vault. His personal best of 5.15 m was achieved in 2006. He was the gold medallist at the 2007 All-Africa Games and runner-up at the 2006 African Championships in Athletics. He won medals at the Arab Junior Athletics Championships, Arab Athletics Championships and the Pan Arab Games.
Adnan Houri is a Syrian athlete. He competed in the men's discus throw at the 1980 Summer Olympics, finished on 16th place (47.52) and did not qualify to final. Won Pan Arab Games title in shot put. Earned four medals at Arab Championships. Became first Syrian man to break 50 m in discus and 16 m in SP. His shot put record was unbroken for 22 years.
The men's marathon competition of the athletics events at the 1979 Pan American Games finished at the Estadio Sixto Escobar. The defending Pan American Games champion was Rigoberto Mendoza of Cuba.
Athletics at the 1985 Pan Arab Games were held in Casablanca, Morocco from August 3 to 8, 1985.
The 1953 Arab Games, held in Alexandria, Egypt, between 26 July and 10 August 1953, featured 21 athletics events. Foot races ranged in length from 100 metres to a full marathon.