Area Development Centre
Africa Area Development
Development Heads: Beatrice Ayikoru & Aziz Daouda
The African Area Development Centres (ADCs) in Cairo, Dakar, and Nairobi support Member Federations across Africa, ensuring culturally and linguistically relevant education, performance, and capacity-building programmes in partnership with the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA).
AADC Cairo
Based in Cairo, this centre supports Member Federations across North Africa and the Middle East. It delivers a variety of programmes in Arabic, including coach education, technical officials’ training, and leadership development. The AADC Cairo is crucial in adapting the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) strategy to the cultural and linguistic context of the region, ensuring that development efforts are both relevant and effective.
AADC Dakar
Located in Dakar, this centre combines technical education with high-performance training, particularly in sprints, hurdles, and jumps. It offers residential training for elite athletes and coaches, providing a focused environment for performance development. The centre’s athletes made an impressive showing at the 2024 African Games, securing multiple medals. AADC Dakar continues to contribute significantly to the continent’s athletic performance through specialized coaching and support.
AADC Nairobi
The AADC Nairobi, situated in the Moi International Stadium, serves as the central hub for education and development in Anglophone Africa. It provides a comprehensive range of programmes, including coach and official education, leadership training, and youth development initiatives. The centre’s work plays a key role in supporting federation staff, coaches, and administrators across East Africa, ensuring that they have the tools and resources to improve both performance and governance.
More details are available on the CAA website
Key Programme Areas:
- High performance (webinars, CECS Level II coaching courses)
- Leadership development (gender leadership)
- MF strategic support (networking, strategy planning)
- Grassroots & youth development (Kids’ Athletics “Train the Trainers”)
- Safeguarding & inclusion
- Officials education (WARECS, RWJ, Starter/Photo Finish, Competition Organisation, and Road Measurement)
- Medical & anti-doping education (health-focused training and awareness activities for MFs)
Asia Area Development
Development Head: Salman Iqbal Butt
Area Development Centres: Jakarta & Cairo
The Asian Development Centres are based in Jakarta and Cairo (The Cairo centre is listed under Africa, as it is shared between Africa and Asia, serving both African and Asian federations).
To further strengthen development support across Asia, a centralised development and education training centre is also located Asian Athletics Headquarters in Bangkok.
AADC Jakarta
Countries served: AFG, BAN, BHU, BRU, CAM, INA, IND, IRI, MAS, MDV, MYA, NEP, PAK, PHI, SGP, SRI, THA, TLS.
AADC Jakarta is located at Mandala Krida Stadium in Yogyakarta.
A fivemember team delivers the Asian Athletics Development Strategy. Key personnel include:
- Ria Lumintuarso: Director
- Dwi Priyono: Deputy Director
- Riastuti: Secretary/Treasurer
Capacity building and educational activities are also delivered at the Asian AthleticsHeadquarters, ensuring a centralised location that is accessible to participants from all Asian Member Federations.
More information can be found on the AA website.
Asian Athletics programmes and projects include:
- High Performance & Coaching Programme (CECS courses)
- Leadership Training & Strategic Planning Programmes
- Member Federation Networking and Education Programme
- Grassroots Programme: Kids’ Athletics Train the Trainers Courses
- Safeguarding Programme
- Referee Education Programme
Europe Area Development
Development Head: Sylvain Jolliet
The European Area Development Centre (ADC Europe) in Lausanne supports 51 Member Federations (MFs) by delivering the World Athletics Development Strategy in alignment with European Athletics’ priorities. It focuses on enhancing coaching, leadership, governance, and innovation across the continent.
For more details, visit the European Athletics website
Key Programme Areas:
- High performance support (webinars, networking projects, coaching summits, and conferences)
- Leadership development (gender leadership, mentoring, and future leaders forums)
- MF capacity building (strategy and national development plans (NDP), onboarding support, CEO and communication managers conferences)
- Officials education (WARECS, technical courses for event management, and road measurement)
- Recognition and motivation (Member Federation and coaching awards, Plaque of Merit, and Golden Pin recognition)
- Thematic programmes (health & wellbeing, sustainability initiatives, safeguarding and inclusion, and medical & anti-doping education)
NACAC Area Development
Development Head: Keith Joseph
In NACAC, development activities are regionally decentralized, meaning each Member Federation receives tailored support through workshops, digital resources, and capacity-building initiatives that respond directly to national needs.
For more details, visit the NACAC website
Key Programme Areas:
- High performance support (webinars for performance coaches, CECS Level II instructor courses, refresher courses for certified coaches)
- Gender leadership (courses, ongoing support for women in coaching and governance roles)
- MF strategic development & digital access (strategy workshops, digital transformation projects, website rebuilding)
- Grassroots development (Kids’ Athletics “Train the Trainers”)
- Safeguarding and integrity (adoption of WA’s Safeguarding Policy, creation of a Safeguarding Commission, regional welfare webinars)
- Officials education (technical courses such as WARECS, RWJ, Starters, and competition organization)
- Medical & anti-doping education (webinars on WADA Code updates and best practices in anti-doping)
Oceania Area Development
Development Head: Yvonne Mullins
The Oceania ADC in Gold Coast coordinates development initiatives across the Pacific, addressing the needs of small island nations, emerging federations, and high-performance programmes, while also providing a performance training hub for athletes.
More details are available on the OAA website
Key Programme Areas:
- Coach education (CECS, mentorship)
- Officials education (technical courses, mentoring)
- High performance development (regional camps, mentorship pathways for athletes and coaches)
- Leadership development (gender leadership, youth leadership, federation staff mentoring)
- Member Federation support and networking (wellbeing, nutrition, team management, and communication workshops)
- Sustainability & inclusion (environmental initiatives and sport inclusion efforts across island nations)
- Safeguarding (training on WA-aligned safeguarding policies)
- Medical & anti-doping education (in partnership with ORADO)
South America Area Development
The South American ADC in Santa Fe supports 13 countries with a mobile, hybrid delivery model that combines in-person and online training to address athlete preparation, coach and official education, and long-term development planning.
For more details, visit the Atletismo Sudamericano website
Key Programme Areas:
- High performance (webinars, CECS coaching certification, performance conferences during Area Championships)
- Leadership & gender equity (gender leadership courses, moderators training, and regional gender forums)
- MF capacity building (strategic planning workshops tailored to MF goals)
- Grassroots athletics (Kids’ Athletics “Train the Trainers” courses)
- Safeguarding & athlete welfare (training for welfare and safeguarding policies)
- Officials education (WARECS, RWJ, Starters, Photo Timing, and Competition Organization courses)
- Medical & anti-doping education (awareness and training on anti-doping regulations)
- Marketing & communication (promotional strategy training for federation staff)
- Youth leadership (Young Leaders Programme to empower the next generation of sports managers)
