The Maghreb Athletics Championships was an international athletics competition between athletes from countries of the Maghreb. The event was hosted eleven times during its existence from the late 1960s to 1990.
Organised by the Union des Fédérations d'Athlétisme du Maghreb Uni (UFAMU), the competition was first held in 1967. It was an annual competition until 1971, at which point it changed to a biennial format. The event schedule was disrupted after 1975, with the final four editions being held in 1981, 1983, 1986 and 1990. The competing nations were principally Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, although Libya was present for a handful of editions (1969, 1981, and 1983). [1]
After the discontinuation of the championships after 1990, the North African Athletics Championships was created in 2003, featuring all four participating nations from the Maghreb Championships. This ran for only two years. [2] The disruption of these events reflected growing political disputes between the countries within the Arab Maghreb Union, particularly over sovereignty of the Western Sahara. [3]
The UFAMU was founded in 1966 and held the inaugural Maghreb Cross Country Championships that same year. It was the first attempt to organise the sport of athletics at that regional level. [4] [5] Since the dissolution of the UFAMU, the four constituent countries continue to compete in the broader Arab Athletics Championships tournament. [6]
The Maghreb Athletics Championships was roughly contemporaneous with the Maghreb Champions Cup and Maghreb Cup Winners Cup, two annual football competitions between the top Algerian, Moroccan and Tunisian association football clubs. These were also short-lived running from 1970 to 1976. [7] Among other sporting events for the region, the Maghreb Student Cross Country Championships reached its 32nd edition in 2013, [8] and a Maghreb Judo Youth Championships had its eighth event in 2009. [9] The presidents of the Algerian and Tunisian National Olympic Committees proposed a Maghreb Olympics in 2013, representing increasing interest in sporting competition at the region level. [10]
| Ed. | Year | City | Country | Dates | No. of events | No. of nations | No. of athletes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1967 | Rabat | Morocco | 15–16 July | 33 | 3 | |
| 2nd | 1968 | Algiers | Algeria | 20–21 July | 33 | 3 | |
| 3rd | 1969 | Tripoli | Libya | 24–25 July | 33 | 4 | |
| 4th | 1970 | Tunis | Tunisia | ~31 July | 33 | 3 | |
| 5th | 1971 | Casablanca | Morocco | ~27 February | 36 | 3 | |
| 6th | 1973 | Agadir | Morocco | 27–29 July | 36 | 3 | |
| 7th | 1975 | Tunis | Tunisia | 37 | 3 | ||
| 8th | 1981 | Algiers | Algeria | 24–26 June | 39 | 3 | |
| 9th | 1983 | Casablanca | Morocco | 15–17 July | 39 | 4 | |
| 10th | 1986 | Tunis | Tunisia | 7–9 August | 39 | 3 | |
| 11th | 1990 | Algiers | Algeria | ~27 July | 40 | 3 |
The Arab Maghreb Union (AMU) is a political union and economic union trade agreement aiming for economic and future political unity among Arab countries that are located primarily in the Maghreb in North Africa. Its members are the nations of Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia. The Union has been unable to achieve tangible progress on its goals due to deep economic and political disagreements between Morocco and Algeria regarding, among others, the issue of Western Sahara. No high-level meetings have taken place since 3 July 2008, and commentators regard the Union as largely dormant.
The Arab States have tried to form unions of several non-political organizations. Sport has been one of the main activities used to unify Arabs. Several tournaments and games were created to let Arab participate in sports, in an effort to bring the members of the Arab world closer to each other.
There have been several sports events known as the Maghreb Championships, including:
The 1977 Arab Athletics Championships was the inaugural edition of the international athletics competition between Arab countries. It took place in Damascus, Syria, coming one year after the city had hosted the 1976 Pan Arab Games. The absence of Egypt, Algeria and Morocco—the three foremost Arab nations in the sport—meant the level of competition was lower than that seen at the games. Iraq was the dominant nation, winning half the gold medals, and Tunisia was a clear second place with five golds. The hosts, Syria, placed third with a medal haul of twelve. Eight of the twelve participating nations reached the medal table.
The 1990 Maghreb Athletics Championships was the eleventh and final edition of the international athletics competition between the countries of the Maghreb. Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia were the competing nations. Organised by the Union des Fédérations d'Athlétisme du Maghreb Uni, it took place in Algiers, Algeria around 27 July. A total of 40 athletics events were contested, 22 for men and 18 for women. Morocco topped the medal table, followed by Algeria.
The 1986 Maghreb Athletics Championships was the tenth edition of the international athletics competition between the countries of the Maghreb. Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia were the competing nations. Organised by the Union des Fédérations d'Athlétisme du Maghreb Uni, it took place in Tunis, Tunisia from 7–9 August. A total of 39 athletics events were contested, 23 for men and 16 for women. The Maghreb men's marathon was held for the third and final time at the tournament.
The 1983 Maghreb Athletics Championships was the ninth edition of the international athletics competition between the countries of the Maghreb. Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya were the competing nations. Organised by the Union des Fédérations d'Athlétisme du Maghreb Uni, it took place in Casablanca, Morocco from 15–17 July. A total of 39 athletics events were contested, 23 for men and 16 for women.
The 1981 Maghreb Athletics Championships was the eighth edition of the international athletics competition between the countries of the Maghreb. Algeria, Tunisia and Libya were the competing nations. Organised by the Union des Fédérations d'Athlétisme du Maghreb Uni, it took place in Casablanca, Morocco from 15–17 July. A total of 39 athletics events were contested, 23 for men and 16 for women.
The 1975 Maghreb Athletics Championships was the seventh edition of the international athletics competition between the countries of the Maghreb. Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco were the competing nations. Organised by the Union des Fédérations d'Athlétisme du Maghreb Uni, it took place in Tunis, Tunisia. A total of 37 athletics events were contested, 22 for men and 15 for women.
The 1973 Maghreb Athletics Championships was the sixth edition of the international athletics competition between the countries of the Maghreb. Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco were the competing nations. Organised by the Union des Fédérations d'Athlétisme du Maghreb Uni, it took place from 27–29 July in Agadir, Morocco. It was the third Moroccan city to host the event, after Rabat in 1967 and Casablanca in 1971. A total of 36 athletics events were contested, 22 for men and 14 for women.
The 1969 Maghreb Athletics Championships was the third edition of the international athletics competition between the countries of the Maghreb. Libya, Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco were the competing nations. Organised by the Union des Fédérations d'Athlétisme du Maghreb Uni, it took place on 24 and 25 July in Tripoli, Libya. It was the first time that Libya competed at the competition. A total of 33 athletics events were contested, 22 for men and 11 for women.
The 1984 Arab Junior Athletics Championships was the inaugural edition of the international athletics competition for under-20 athletes from Arab countries. It took place in Casablanca, Morocco from 21–23 July. A total of 38 athletics events were contested, 22 for men and 16 for women. The competition was scheduled to be held in the years between the biennial Arab Athletics Championships for senior athletes.
The Arab Athletics Federation is an international governing body for the sport of athletics.
The 2009 Arab Youth Athletics Championships was the third edition of the international athletics competition for under-18 athletes from Arab countries. Organised by the Arab Athletic Federation, it took place in the Syrian city of Aleppo from 22 to 24 July. A total of thirty-eight events were contested, of which 20 by male and 18 by female athletes. The difference was accounted for by the lack of steeplechase and pole vault events for girls.
The 2013 Arab Youth Athletics Championships was the fourth edition of the international athletics competition for under-18 athletes from Arab countries. Organised by the Arab Athletic Federation, it took place in the Egyptian capital Cairo from 21–23 June. A total of forty events were contested, of which 20 by male and 20 by female athletes. The girls' steeplechase was contested for the first time, making the programme match that of the 2013 World Youth Championships in Athletics. The racewalking events were held on roads, rather than the usual track surface.
The International Cross Country Union (ICCU) was the first major international sports governing body for cross country running. Created in 1903, it launched the International Cross Country Championships that same year. Originally a grouping for contests between the four Home Nations of the British Isles, the body was symbolic of the increasing co-operation of the older national bodies found in those nations.
Ben Assou El Ghazi is a Moroccan long-distance runner who competed in track and cross country running events. He represented his country in the 3000 metres steeplechase at the 1964 Summer Olympics. He was the winner of the 1966 International Cross Country Championships – the second African to do so after Rhadi Ben Abdesselam. He also led the Moroccan team to African's first team medal at the tournament. He won two gold medals on the track at the 1965 Pan Arab Games.
Abdelwahab Ferguène is an Algerian former racewalking athlete who competed in the 20 kilometres race walk. Born in Akbou, he twice represented Algeria at the Summer Olympics, 26th in 1984 and 32nd in 1988. He was also a three-time participant at the World Championships in Athletics and a four-time representative at the IAAF World Race Walking Cup. He was a two-time winner of the African Championships in Athletics and won four continental silver medals. He also finished in the top two at the Maghreb Athletics Championships and Arab Athletics Championships throughout his career.
The North African Cross Country Championships is an international cross country running competition between the nations of North Africa, organised by the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA). It is typically held over one day in February and features a senior and junior race for both men and women. All four races contain an individual and team competition. Senior short course races were also held during the period where that event was present at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships.
The North African Athletics Championships was an international athletics competition between countries in North Africa. The event was hosted only twice, in 2003 and 2004, and was also known as the African Zone I Championships. It was the main track and field contest for the region, and during the same period North African championships in cross country, half marathon and combined events and racewalking were also held. The development of intra-regional competition in North Africa was hampered by political disputes between Algeria and Morocco, particularly over sovereignty of the Western Sahara.
