Leemisa Thuseho
THE Federation of Athletics Lesotho (FAL) is gearing up to host one of its biggest events of the year — the African Continental Athletics Track and Field Tour.
The highly anticipated tour is scheduled for 21 March at Setsoto Stadium.
FAL public relations officer, Nkoebe Makhalemele, confirmed to the Lesotho Times that preparations for the prestigious event, to be staged under the auspices of World Athletics, are well underway.
“The Continental Tour set for March is one of our biggest events,” Makhalemele told the Lesotho Times.
He said the federation is expecting athletes from various African countries, with Zambia and Nigeria having already shown interest.
Although refurbishment work is still ongoing at Setsoto Stadium, particularly turf installation, the federation remains hopeful that the work will be completed in line with timelines previously indicated by the Minister of Sports, Tourism, Arts and Culture, Motlatsi Maqelepo, in November last year.
The Continental Tour will also provide athletes with an opportunity to meet qualification standards for the 2026 African Championships, scheduled to be held in Ghana in May.
“At the moment, we only have three athletes who have qualified for the African Championships — Mojela Koneshe, ’Mamakoli Senauane and Kamohelo Mofolo. With events like this, we want to see more athletes qualifying,” Makhalemele said.
In preparation for hosting the Continental Tour, Makhalemele said the federation will stage a track and field event at Setsoto Stadium on Saturday as a build-up to the main competition.
He added that even if turf installation is still ongoing, hosting athletics events will not interfere with the refurbishment process, as competitions will only utilise the tartan track, which is not part of the areas undergoing upgrades.
