Africa Athletics Championships, scheduled for June in Algiers and postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic, will be held a month before the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, announced Friday Hamad Kalkaba Malboum, chairman of the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA).
“The 22nd Africa Championships, initially scheduled from 24 to 28 June in Algiers and postponed until next year, will be held a month or 40 days before Tokyo Olympics, scheduled from 23 July to 8 August 2021,” said Kalkaba in a video conference organized by the Media Committee for the Promotion of Athletics in West Africa (COMPAAO).
“The date that will be taken by the Algerian authorities will enable some of our athletes to seek qualification for the Olympic Games and will enable some others to benefit from an additional competition,” he said, underlining that the good formula will be set in coordination with the local committee in charge of organizing these championships.
While recognizing the difficulty for the athletes to prepare properly for these games in this period of pandemic, Kalkaba said that he will pay a visit to Algeria at the right time, not only to inspect some sport facilities but to meet the Algerian authorities, thank them for their support and encouragement.
