The East and Central African Championships was an annual international athletics competition between nations in East and Central Africa. The event was established as the East African Championships in 1955, building upon of international athletics matches between Kenya and Uganda (first held in 1934), which had themselves expanded to include Tanganyika in 1952. The competition remained between these countries (with Tanzania replacing Tanganyika after it merged with Zanzibar) until 1969, at which point Tanzania's southern neighbour Zambia was invited. Zambia became the first host outside of the founding three nations shortly after, with the 1971 championships being held in its capital Lusaka. More countries joined in the 1970s, including Ethiopia, Somalia, and this was expanded again in the