Global track and field governing body that sets eligibility rules and sanctions athletics events, recently implementing gender testing for 2028 Olympics.
Key points drawn from coverage. Tap a point to see the original sentence.
The Namibian
World Athletics announced $50,000 prize money for winners at 2024 Paris Olympics
“Two years ago, World Athletics announced that winners in the French capital would each receive $50 000, the governing body becoming the first international federation to introduce such prize money.”
Prize money ‘critical’ for athletics, says CoeThe Namibian
World Athletics maintained total exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes
“On Friday, World Athletics maintained the total exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes, noting no "tangible movement towards peace negotiations having materialised".”
IOC eases restrictions on Russians before 2028 LA Games as anthem, flag ban remainsThe Namibian
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe warned that track and field athletes competing at the Enhanced Games face being banned for a long time
“While World Athletics president Sebastian Coe has warned that track and field athletes competing at the Enhanced Games face being banned for a "long time", Kerley insisted he was not worried.”
Banned ex 100m champ Kerley to compete clean at Enhanced GamesThe Namibian
World Athletics awarded bronze status to the Addis Ababa Grand Prix
“The competition has officially been awarded bronze status by World Athletics.”
Coetzee shines at Addis Ababa Grand PrixNew Era
World Athletics recognises the Classic as a bronze-level category event
“The Classic is a World Athletics recognised event and will attract various award-winning and world-class athletes.”
Premier athletics showcase on the horizonThe Namibian
World Athletics has ranked the NSC as Category C ranked event
“The NSC will be a World Athletics Category C ranked event which ranks below gold, silver and Diamond League events, but Botha said it ranked highly in Africa.”
Namibia Street Classic to make historyThe Namibian
World Athletics has confirmed the event as World Continental Tour Bronze event
“it has been confirmed as a World Continental Tour Bronze event, which has a minimum prize money purse of US$25 000, or about N$400 000.”
World’s top athletes coming to WindhoekNew Era
World Athletics imposed testosterone-reducing drugs on Beatrice Masilingi and Christine Mboma in 2021
“The testosterone-reducing drugs were imposed by WA on both Beatrice Masilingi and Christine Mboma in 2021, following the introduction of regulations governing athletes with differences of sexual development (DSD), which affected their eligibility to compete in certain women's track events.”
Testosterone-reducing drugs drain Masilingi …health risks, financial strain citedThe Namibian
World Athletics said it was shocked and saddened by news of Kiplagat's death
“World Athletics said it was "shocked and saddened" by news of Kiplagat's death.”
Benjamin Kiplagat: Ugandan athlete stabbed to death in Kenya – reportsThe Namibian
World Athletics has DSD regulations found incompatible with European Convention on Human Rights
“The BBC reported that the ruling also found that World Athletics' DSD regulations were a "source of discrimination" for Semenya "by the manner in which they were exercised and by their effects", and the regulations were "incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)".”
Semenya ruling won’t affect Mboma, Masilingi for nowSebastian Coe, World Athletics president, says prize money is "critical" for track and field, citing his decision to award $50,000 to gold medallists at the 2024 Paris Olympics—a move that initially drew criticism from the IOC and other federations for departing from Olympic tradition. Coe also announced a new World Athletics Ultimate Championships with a $10 million prize pool.
14 August 2026 · The Namibian →
Sebastian Coe, World Athletics president, says prize money is "critical" for track and field, citing his decision to award $50,000 to gold medallists at the 2024 Paris Olympics—a move that initially drew criticism from the IOC and other federations for departing from Olympic tradition. Coe also announced a new World Athletics Ultimate Championships with a $10 million prize pool.
14 August 2026 · The Namibian →
Navachab Gold Mine has increased its sponsorship of the 12th Navachab Half Marathon to N$1.5 million, with the race scheduled for 19 September targeting approximately 2,000 entries. The mine aims to grow the event into an international competition, with prize allocations rising from N$345,000 in 2025 to N$530,000 this year.
30 July 2026 · Windhoek Observer →
QKR Namibia Navachab Gold Mine has increased its sponsorship of the Navachab Half Marathon to N$1.5 million for the event's 12th edition, with prize money allocation rising from N$345,000 in 2025 to N$530,000 this year. The mine aims to develop the race into an international competition featuring athletes from Tanzania, Kenya, Botswana and South Africa.
29 July 2026 · The Namibian →
The International Olympic Committee lifted some restrictions allowing Russian athletes to compete in team events and qualifying competitions for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, though bans on the Russian national anthem and flag remain in place for now. Returning Russian athletes must pass "multiple" doping tests before participating, and individual sports may decide whether to allow the flag and anthem at their own events.
7 July 2026 · The Namibian →
A consultant hired to advise on renovating Windhoek's Independence Stadium is set to earn about N$337 million – more than three times the government's budgeted amount – through a 17.5% fee on the estimated N$2 billion project cost, which industry experts say is unusually high.
2 July 2026 · The Namibian →
The government is expected to start the procurement process for a contractor to redevelop Independence Stadium in Windhoek during the second quarter of the current financial year, with the stadium currently at the final design and documentation stage. The project is one of five stadiums planned across the country to be upgraded to Confederation of African Football category three standards, to be implemented in phases.
24 May 2026 · The Namibian →
Fred Kerley, a suspended former 100m world champion, will compete without performance-enhancing drugs at the Enhanced Games in Las Vegas, where doping is permitted among other competitors. Kerley is competing for financial reasons and has undergone regular anti-doping tests in recent months, hoping to race in the 2028 Olympics despite a two-year ban from the Athletics Integrity Unit for whereabouts failures.
23 May 2026 · The Namibian →
World record pole vaulter Armand Duplantis will headline the Diamond League season opener this weekend in Shanghai/Keqiao, joined by middle-distance runner Faith Kipyegon, hurdler Karsten Warholm, sprinter Letsile Tebogo, and 100m hurdler Tobi Amusan. The 15-meet series will span four continents and 15 cities, culminating in the final in Brussels on September 4–5.
15 May 2026 · The Namibian →
Namibia and Botswana held a high-level bilateral engagement between their sports commissions in Gaborone to review progress under a 2021 Memorandum of Understanding and map a stronger path for regional sport development. The partnership has yielded results in athlete support, high-performance preparation, sport governance and regional cooperation through athlete exchanges, joint training camps, and event hosting.
7 May 2026 · New Era →
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe called the IOC's March decision to introduce gender testing for Olympic eligibility a "very important development," limiting Olympic women's sports from 2028 Los Angeles to biological females and those without differences in sexual development. The announcement drew mixed reactions: while Coe welcomed the move, French Sports Minister Marina Ferrari called it "a step backwards," and the gene's discoverer argued that defining biological sex entirely by chromosomes is "overly simplistic."
1 May 2026 · The Namibian →
Namibian long jump champion Chenoult Lionel Coetzee won the Addis Ababa Grand Prix with a 7.89m jump. Coetzee, an Africa Championship silver medalist with a national record of 8.27m, is preparing for the upcoming Bank Windhoek Athletics Namibia Senior National Championships and has expressed ambitions for the Commonwealth Games and African Championships.
22 April 2026 · The Namibian →
The International Olympic Committee has announced the reintroduction of gender testing through SRY gene screening, last used in 1996, to protect female competition categories. The move raises practical, legal, ethical and scientific questions, with critics including the scientist who discovered the SRY gene arguing the approach is overly simplistic and lacks scientific consensus linking the test to sporting performance, while affected athletes report severe personal and financial consequences.
27 March 2026 · The Namibian →
At Namibia's Independence Celebrations Athletics Championships, Ansune Smith set a new women's hammer throw national record of 50.31m—breaking the 50m mark for the first time—and Frieda Iithete broke the national triple jump record with 12.78m. Several other athletes came close to existing records across middle-distance, sprinting, and field events.
23 March 2026 · The Namibian →
Namibia's first-ever premier street athletics showcase, the Namibian Classic, will take place 27–28 March at Vegkop Stadium in Windhoek, featuring world-class international and local athletes competing in sprints, hurdles, jumps, pole vault, and the street mile. The World Athletics-recognised event will allow competitors to earn global ranking points and will be broadcast live on SuperSport and World Athletics platforms.
9 March 2026 · New Era →
The Namibia Street Classic, a World Athletics Category C ranked event costing about N$5 million, will take place on 27–28 March in Windhoek, featuring international athletes and Namibian stars including Christine Mboma. Organiser Henk Botha said the event will be Africa's first street athletics event and the largest sporting event hosted in Namibia, with live broadcasts on SuperSport and World Athletics platforms.
6 March 2026 · The Namibian →
Namibia's ministry says it is waiting for a technical review from African football's governing body (CAF) before finalising preparations for the Independence Stadium. Design documentation was submitted to CAF in December 2025 for compliance review, but the ministry has not received a response despite follow-up attempts, though it aims to complete construction preparations by March 2026.
23 February 2026 · The Namibian →
Lionel Coetzee dominated the men's long jump at the Khomas Athletics Championships with a leap of 7.71m, while several other Namibian athletes produced performances exceeding 1,000 World Athletics points. Coetzee said he aims to qualify for the Commonwealth Games and African Championships this season.
16 February 2026 · The Namibian →
Namibia will host a World Athletics-sanctioned street event on 27–28 March featuring international stars including shot putters Joe Kovacs and Tom Walsh, pole vaulters Sam Kendricks and Sandi Morris, and likely Swedish superstar Armand Duplantis. The event, to be held on Robert Mugabe Avenue, is described as the first international athletics street event in southern Africa, with a minimum prize purse of US$25,000.
30 January 2026 · The Namibian →
Beatrice Masilingi, a Namibian track athlete, stopped taking testosterone-reducing drugs imposed by World Athletics in October 2023, citing severe side effects including bone density loss. Her sponsorship deal with MTC and other endorsements have ended, leaving her facing financial strain as she considers her future in athletics.
14 January 2026 · New Era →