The African Union Sport Council (AUSC) Region 5 has announced the resumption of the Region 5 Marathon after a four-year hiatus due to COVID-19.
This will be marked by a 5th edition dubbed “Silver Jubilee Marathon” under the theme: “Africa United” and it will be held in September this year in South Africa’s city of Rustenburg and it will serve as a celebration of South Africa’s thirty years of democracy.
Region 5’s Chief Executive Officer, Stanley Mutoya, has confirmed.
“We are delighted that this Marathon celebrates the African renaissance and provides a window to reflect on the gains of our liberation through sport,” Mutoya said.
In a statement, he added that during the tournament, stakeholders will address issues such as Gender-Based Violence, non-communicable diseases, drug abuse and safeguarding as well as celebrating Africanness.
The tournament is a low-cost high-impact event which is targeting a minimum of five thousand participants from across the Region and beyond including host country South Africa.
Participants will join various events, including a 42.2km run, 22.1km run, 10km fun run, 5km, and 2km Walk for Life.
The inaugural edition of the Regional Marathon was hosted in Malawi in 2016 as a joint effort between Region 5 and the Confederation of Southern African National Olympic Committees (COSANOC), now Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) Zone VI.
Thereafter, Mozambique hosted in 2017 before Namibia hosted in 2018 and 2019.
South Africa then offered to host the event for three years from 2020 to 2022 before sport was brought to a screeching halt by the coronavirus in 2020.
