By Edmond W. Davis
The World Track and Field Championships concluded in September. The cradle of humanity is also the cradle of athletic greatness. Africa has given the world marathon champions from Kenya, sprinters from Nigeria and Botswana, rugby giants from South Africa, and countless others who inspire us from podiums around the globe. Nearly over 18 percent of the world’s population lives in Africa, and the majority of today’s top athletes can trace their heritage back to this continent. Yet, when it comes to hosting the world’s most prestigious sporting events, Africa remains glaringly absent.
The contradiction is stunning. Adolf Hitler’s Germany hosted the 1936 Summer Olympics. A Jim Crow America staged the 1904 Summer Games in St. Louis, which included the dehumanizing “Anthropology Days.” According to the University of Nebraska, this is where Africans and other indigenous people were placed in human zoos. And still today, even as America continues to wrestle with “White towns” in 2025, there are no Summer Games planned on African soil.
The missing stage
Consider the facts:
● World Athletics Championships – the crown jewel of track and field – has been held on every continent except Africa.
● Summer Olympic Games – since 1896, never awarded to an African nation.
● Formula 1 – Africa has not hosted a Grand Prix since 1993 in South Africa.
● MotoGP – no race ever held in Africa.
● Rugby World Cup – South Africa has won four times, but the tournament has never been awarded to another African host.
● FIBA Basketball World Cup – never in Africa.
● Tennis Grand Slams – Wimbledon, U.S. Open, French Open, Australian Open. None in Africa.
● FIFA Women’s World Cup – never staged in Africa.
● Commonwealth Games – despite African membership, never awarded to the continent.
This is not an oversight. This is avoidance.
Hollow excuses
Some argue that Africa lacks infrastructure. But history exposes this as hollow. Mexico City in 1968 and Rio de Janeiro in 2016 faced enormous challenges—poverty, inequality, political unrest—yet with international support, they delivered memorable Games. Why is Africa denied the same chance?
The Bible reminds us in Acts 10:34, “God is no respecter of persons.” If we believe that truth, then the same dignity extended to Europe, Asia and the Americas must also be extended to Africa. Anything less is hypocrisy.
A history of exclusion
The injustice runs deep. In 1904, two South African marathoners, Jan Mashiani and Len Taunyane, were mocked in St. Louis during “Anthropology Days.” It was a racist spectacle meant to demean, not celebrate. More than a century later, Africa’s absence from hosting global sports reveals how little has changed.
Track and field makes this neglect even more painful. Kenya’s women shatter world records. Botswana has produced sprinters who electrify global finals. Nigeria has raised generations of world-class athletes. These champions embody the scripture in Ecclesiastes 9:11: “The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong… but time and chance happen to them all.” Yet Africa has been denied its rightful chance.
The NFL and global sports leagues
The NFL, the richest sports league in the world, has staged games in London, Mexico City, Frankfurt and Toronto. But never in Africa. This is even though many African-born players—Osi Umenyiora, Christian Okoye, and a growing number of young stars—have left their mark on the league.
Contrast that with the NBA, which staged three exhibition games in Johannesburg (2015, 2017, 2018) and launched the Basketball Africa League in 2021. While still limited, the NBA has made intentional efforts. The NFL and IOC remain silent.
Why it matters
Sports are more than games. They are cultural declarations of belonging. To deny Africa the stage is to deny Africa full membership in the global community. The Olympic rings symbolize unity among the five continents, yet Africa’s ring remains symbolic only. This contradiction is not lost on the 1.4 billion people who call Africa home.
As Isaiah 58:12 declares: “You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach.” Hosting these events in Africa is not about charity—it is about repairing a breach of justice.
Moving forward
The solution is within reach. If Rio could host, if Los Angeles could host twice, if Hitler’s Berlin could host in 1936, then surely Cape Town, Lagos, Nairobi, Cairo or Johannesburg can deliver on the world stage. The IOC should commit to awarding the 2036 Summer Olympics to Africa. World Athletics should bring its Championships to Kenya or South Africa. The NFL should schedule an international series game in Lagos, Accra, or Johannesburg.
This is not about handouts. It is about fairness. It is about recognizing that Africa is not just the supplier of talent but the rightful home of global celebration. Until these steps are taken, the world’s greatest games will remain incomplete—missing the land where humanity began.
The time to act is now. Not out of pity, but out of principle. Not out of symbolism, but out of justice. The world has ignored Africa long enough. The next chapter of global sports history must be written on African soil.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the writer and not necessarily those of the AFRO.