Sebastian Coe’s Bold Vision for Africa: A new chapter in Olympic growth and inclusion

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Africa has never hosted the Olympic or Paralympic Games, but it has great potential. Bringing out the untapped talent here will shape the future of the Games.

I recently met with African journalists to discuss the shared future of the Olympic movement and the Continent.

The steps we will take in Africa (Africa Accelerator) could be a turning point for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. I would like to highlight a few issues in particular.

• Organising the Games poses a significant financial challenge for every country. We need to take this to a more sustainable level and create a more collaborative approach.
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• AI can help identify talented athletes, access coaching, turbo charge anti-doping testing and accelerate efficiencies ensuring no one is missed because of geographic or financial barriers.  This is critical in Africa where we have a wealth of untapped potential.
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• The ability of athletes to maximise their talents involves financial as well as mental and physical needs. We must find ways to give athletes more rights, more data, more assets they can monetise so they can focus on their sports.
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• The 2026 Youth Olympic Games will be a significant milestone in growing the Olympic movement in Africa and inspiring the next generation of athletes.  We have seen this happen with World Athletics Events we have, and continue to, stage in Africa.
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• International Sports Federations should work together to reimagine and develop shared infrastructure for sporting events and collaborate with NOCs & NFs to ensure sustained legacy plans.

The great thing about an election is that it’s an incubator for new ideas. Every step taken to move sports and the Olympic movement forward is valuable.