“I am hurt and disappointed” – Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith recently came forward to voice her grimace over what has been taking place at the African Track and Field Championships (mismanagement and poor organization being the name of the game). She has a vested interest and personal stake in it as she hails from a nation in West Africa herself. The Championships currently ongoing in Cameroon will continue till 26th June, 2024. The 35-year-old currently ranks #3 on the 100m table, and was looking forward to winning her second world title at the event, but alas, things were not meant to be. 

Ta Lou-Smith took to Twitter, candidly speaking about the issues she was facing. While her public outburst caught several fans’ eyes, it also caused a ripple effect. Several other athletes then came forward, shedding light on the discrepancies they’ve noticed at the event. What bizarre scenes have been unfolding at the African Championships? 

Ta Lou-Smith’s revelations opened a can of worms 

The World Championships silver medalist has had her eye on clinching a gold at the Summer Games for a while now. She aims to accomplish what no African woman ever has – winning the 100m and 200m at the Olympics and the World Championships. Having come close to missing out on that dream at the Rio and Tokyo Olympics, she has her eyes set on Paris now. 

The Ivorian athlete was looking forward to the African Championships to get one step closer to her dream. But the disparities she came across at the event left her miffed. She publicly expressed how her team was being unfairly treated and decided to speak up against the organizers. However, right after her candid statements, several other incidents came to light. 

Track and Gazette posted about the use of a wood clap at the start of the races. They captioned it, “Scenes at the African Championships in Cameroon 🇨🇲 where two pieces of wood are being clapped together to start races!🤦🏾No starter gun in the country?👀” The standard protocol for professional track events is to use a starter gun. However, when several runners complained about the equipment being too quiet, the organizers decided to adapt to this unorthodox step. 

Apart from highlighting the series of missteps the championships has taken, this also brings up several other issues many have faced after just one day of the event. Many rallied behind Ta Lou-Smith, agreeing with her criticism. It opened up a discussion of what a well-functioning event of this prestige should have done instead. 

Star athletes rally together asking for a much-needed change

Ta Lou-Smith’s revelations also acted as a catalyst for other prominent athletes at the championships. South African US-based sprinter Shaun Maswanganyi came forward expressing how he withdrew from the championship due to the chaos. He stated, “If nothing changes, I’ll be in Houston by Saturday.” Maswanganyi, who vlogged the entire meet, stated how basic amenities weren’t being looked after. 

The organizers weren’t accommodating of his food allergies or offering appropriate transport for the athletes. He ended his grievances with, “If we don’t look out for ourselves as athletes, no one else will.” Maswanganyi also expressed concern for several other athletes who might also be facing the same issues at the event. 

This also brought on criticism from the 2023 World Championship double sprint medalist, Letsile Tebogo. The track star clinched a win with 10.29 in heats on the opening night. Post his victory, he spoke to journalists, mentioning how he might not compete in the finals due to how disorganized the event is. He stated emphatically that –“We’ll see about the final because there’s a lot of disorganised stuff.”

But this wasn’t the only dilemma many athletes were facing. Several came forward expressing how they weren’t aware of having qualified for an event hours after they were done. The issue was persistent across several events, causing many to chase down officials to no avail. Smith herself expressed her woes, stating that adequate provisions weren’t made for her team beforehand, which was appalling in and of itself. She bemoaned -“My team have to take a yango (taxi) to go to the stadium because the transportation sucks”.

With several star athletes echoing their concerns, it highlights what could go wrong at an event as grand as the African Championships. While Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith might have started a domino effect, the need for change has never been as resounding. As the championships continue on, fans and athletes alike will be looking forward to immediate change.