It was founded on 15 March 1975 at a conference of Arab nations in Rabat, Morocco, with the aim of improving the quality of the sport in the Arab world and foster greater international co-operation within the region.
[1] Suleiman Awwad al-Zaidi of Saudi Arabia is the current president.
[2] The organisation's foremost event, the biennial Arab Athletics Championships, was held two years after the federation's formation.
[3] A year later, the Arab Cross Country Championships was established.
[5] The federation also supports a circuit of track and field meetings to promote qualification into its championships.