President of the Sierra Leone Athletics Association, Martin Momoh Bangura, was among the delegates in Tokyo for the World Athletics Congress and Convention at the Hotel New Otani, Japan.
The traditional congress serves as a platform for member federations to meet, share ideas, and explore strategies for the progress of athletics worldwide.
This year’s theme was “Innovation: exploring how our sport can embrace bold thinking, new technology, and creative solutions to shape the future.” The sessions featured interactive panel discussions designed to spark debate and inspire progress.
The congress also welcomed global partners who joined the World Athletics team to share experiences on sustainability initiatives, data collection methods, and ways such data can be used to secure public and private sector support through innovative approaches.
President Martin Momoh Bangura, representing the Sierra Leone Athletics Association, made dynamic contributions, linking key discussion points to the rapid improvement of athletics within Sierra Leone.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe stressed the importance of innovation in driving the future of athletics during his opening speech at the Convention.
“As you have all heard me say many times, our core activity is sport, but our business has to be entertainment. Bob has refined and re-engineered entertainment with his relentless focus on the customer, the experience, and the storytelling,” he said.
During the congress, amendments to the World Athletics Constitution were adopted, alongside reports from area associations, independent bodies, the World Plan Taskforce, and the WCH Tokyo 2025. Titles and service awards were also presented, illustrating the success of the 55th World Athletics Congress in Tokyo.
Unfortunately for Sierra Leone, this year’s World Athletics Championships (Tokyo 2025) had no athletes competing due to qualification challenges.
However, even with the opportunity of a ‘wild card’ entry, Sierra Leone’s participation was hindered. Fatmata Awolo, based in the USA, was withdrawn despite being accepted and accredited after her coach advised against competition due to injury and fitness concerns. Meanwhile, Foday Kallon was unable to participate because of passport expiration issues. Both setbacks prevented Sierra Leone from being represented at this year’s championships.
By Dalton Shyllon
