Commonwealth Games Federation President Louise Martin has conducted a visit to Zambia to take part in a regional forum ©CGF

Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) President Louise Martin has visited Zambia to take part in a regional forum and receive progress updates on the organsiation’s Transformation 2022 process.

Martin was joined by representatives from 18 Commonwealth Games Associations (CGAs) at the meeting at the Sport for Hope Centre in Lusaka, where the CGF’s strategic reform plan was one of the key items on the agenda.

Other topics included preparations for the next edition of the Commonwealth Youth Games, due to be held in The Bahamas in 2017, the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games and various regional development initiatives.

The meeting in the Zambian capital, also attended by CGF chief executive David Grevemberg, the brainchild of the Transformation 2022 programme, was the first in a series of events across the Commonwealth.

They were a key part of Martin’s manifesto when she was bidding for the top job at the governing body last year and the Scot is due to take part in several similar visits in the near future to Malta, The Bahamas, Sri Lanka and Vanuatu.

CGF regional vice-president for Africa Miriam Moyo, President of the National Olympic Committee of Zambia, was in attendance.

Commonwealth Games Federation chief executive David Grevemberg, the spearhead behind Transformation 2022, was in attendance at the meeting in Zambia ©CGF
Commonwealth Games Federation chief executive David Grevemberg, the spearhead behind Transformation 2022, was in attendance at the meeting in Zambia ©CGF

The delegation also comprised members from Botswana, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia.

“The athlete-centered and sport-focused vision of Transformation 2022 puts collaboration and communities at the heart of our strategic plans,” Martin said.

“It’s not a top-down approach - it’s about empowering and enabling our membership and their athletes to inspire and engage citizens and communities throughout the Commonwealth.

“I’m particularly pleased that we have been able to launch our university internship programme here in Africa, an ambitious partnership that will see 14 young students and postgraduates work closely with our Commonwealth Games Associations on capacity-building and development initiatives.

"I passionately hope that these meetings help develop an even stronger sense of collective ownership and regional identity across our CGAs, as we collaborate to build an ambitious and impactful future for sport in the Commonwealth.”