Profile: Dodou Joof (Alias Capi) One Of Gambia's Most Dedicated Sports Personality

Alhagie Dodou Joof better known as Capi, the Secretary- General of the Gambia athletics Association (GAA) was voted the most outstanding sports personality in an annual Sports Banquet and Awards Ceremony organised by the Gambia National Olympic Committee in 2007.

Born in Banjul, The Gambia's Capi Joof was a household name and truly a national hero, who was a force to reckon with at the track, indeed an outstanding sprinter.

He was the national champion record holder in the 100m and 200m, respectively from 1968- 1990, a record he holds for 38 years.

Dodou Joof a well-known figure in Gambian sports, particularly in athletics was among the finalists in the 200m in the Commonwealth games held in Adinburgh, Scotland and a medalist in the regional championships in Dakar, called Semaine Nationale de La Jeunesse in Senegal, in 1970.

After these spectacular and brilliant athletics achievements, Dodou then retired from active competitions, and opted to become an athletics Coach and Administrators. Subsequently, he was awarded a coaching schoolarship in Loughborough, in England. He also holds a diploma in track and field from Loughborough, UK and D.L.V in Germany and attended several courses and seminars in sports management.

The well-known Dodou Joof, who continued to gain a lot of international recognition as a result of his unflinching support to the development and promotion of athletics in the country, received many national and international awards in athletics and sports management as well.

Capi was awarded a gold madal by Striders International of USA and young Angles of South Africa in 1988.

In 1989, he received a certificate from the secondary and primary schools federation in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the development of school sports.

He is currently serving as the Technical Director for West

Africa Region 2 and also served as theTechnical Delegate for the GNOSC, at the Commonwealth games and the Atlanta Olympic Games.

In 1995, he was appointed I.T.O for the All African Games in Harare, Zimbabwe and was also the Vice-President of the West African Cycling Federation in Burkina Faso.

He was elected Treasurer of the African Athletics Confederation and member of the African Jury of Appeal in Cairo, Egypt, in 2003.

Capi was again being honoured with another leadership role when he was elected a member of Afro Asian Athletic Council in India in 2004 and was again elected as the President of the Gambia Olympian Association, as well as the adviser to the African Olympian Association in the same year.

Dodou Joof in 2005 in Helsinki, Finland, was awarded the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) veteran pin in recognition of his long and meritorious service to world athletics.

In April 2007, in Dakar, Cappi was re-elected unopposed as the Treasurer of the Confederation of African Athletics and a member of Jury of Appeal.

Dodou Joof is described by many as an excellent sport Administrator, who uses his own resources to ensure that athletics he loves so much is prooperly practised and admired.

He is also described as somebody knowledgeable who has the technical competence in all the IAAF rules and regulations.

He is classified by his counterparts as an asset to The Gambia and someone The Gambia should be proud of.

The committed and sports loving personality Dodou Joof played an instrument part in helping most of the Gambians secured an athletics scholarship awards which includes officials and Coaches in various parts of the world which is a brilliant step in the right direction.