"We need to step up"- Africa's fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala discusses what needs to change for the continent to excel in Athletics

Ferdinand Omanyala has explained what Africa needs to do to be granted bids to host major track and field events like the World Championships, more Diamond League Meetings, and the Olympic Games. Africa has only managed to host the continental tour meetings and Omanyala believes there is a capability of the continent to host even more major events but they only have to get a few things right.

Omanyala noted that there is no indoor stadium in Africa, thus, there is no chance of hosting a World Indoor Championship until the stadium is built. He urged the relevant federations to step up and look into what needs to be changed for Africa to host more major events.

Speaking to NBC Sport, Ferdinand Omanyala said:

"We still haven’t hosted a world championship in athletics so we need to start there. We haven’t even had one Diamond League race in Africa. We need to step up. At the indoor championships, we realized Africa doesn’t have any indoor track."

"So, it’s very difficult for us to compete at that kind of level without all those facilities. But I know we can. South Africa hosted the World Cup before so I know they can host an Olympics. For Kenya, we need to first host a world championship and once we do that then we can try to host an Olympic Games. We still have a long way to go, but I believe we can get there," he added.

Kenya and Botswana are the only nations that host World Athletics Continental Tour Gold, while Morocco hosts the Rabat Diamond League Meeting.

Kenya hosts the Kip Keino Classic annually, where Ferdinand Omanyala has always been a star competitor. Omanyala made his Kip Keino Classic debut in 2021 and has won since except the 2024 edition where he was forced to finish fifth.

In Botswana, the Botswana Golden Grand Prix had to be halted this year due to legal issues.

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Ferdinand Omanyala fires warning shots at rivals ahead of Olympic Games with win at FBK Games Hengelo

Ferdinand Omanyala at the Commonwealth Games: Day 6

Ferdinand Omanyala was in a class of his own, as he obliterated a strong field to claim the top prize at the FBK Games in Hengelo, the Netherlands, on Sunday, July 7.

The Commonwealth Games champion clocked a stunning 10.01 seconds to win the race ahead of former world indoor 60m champion Ronnie Baker who timed 10.03. Coming in third was reigning Olympic Games 200m champion Andre De Grasse who crossed the finish line in 10.07 seconds.

With his dominant win ahead of the Olympic Games, Omanyala has sent a warning to his rivals including Noah Lyles, Akani Simbine, Letsile Tebogo, Kenny Bednarek, and Fred Kerley among other 100m stars.

He will be making his second appearance at the Olympic Games in Paris. He will be more confident this time around since he is currently the second-fastest man in the world behind Jamaica’s KIshane Thompson.

At the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, Ferdinand Omanyala was knocked out in the semifinal of the men’s 100m after finishing third in his heat. He clocked 10.00 to cross the finish line. The final of the race was eventually won by Italian Marcel Jacobs, with Kerley coming in second.