The African Senior Athletics Championships originally billed to take place in Algiers from June 22 to 26, have been postponed to a date yet to be announced.
As announced on Wednesday, the eagerly anticipated championship was moved due to the health situation linked to the COVID-19 pandemic and following “the recommendations “of Algeria’s scientific committee for monitoring the evolution of the pandemic and the country’s Ministry of Youth and Sports (MJS).
This development will come as a big blow for Nigeria as the African Championships is one of the avenues penciled down to make up for the miss at the recently held World Relays in Poland.
The qualification window for the Olympic Games winds down on June 29, a few days after the initial end date of the African Championships.
“Due to the health situation, marked by a rebound in the spread of the coronavirus pandemic and the risk of circulation of new variant (s), the competent authorities, following the recommendations of the scientific monitoring committee of the evolution of the Covid-19 pandemic, recommended to postpone this sporting event to a later date, “said the ministerial department in a press release issued Wednesday.
The African Senior Athletics Championships, initially scheduled for Oran, were to be held from June 22 to 26 at the Mohamed-Boudiaf Olympic Complex (Algiers).
The MJS called on the Algerian Athletics Federation (FAA) “to make the necessary arrangements to inform the officials of the African Athletics Confederation (CAA), in order to agree on new dates for the holding of these championships as soon as the situation health will be better,” read Wednesday’s statement.
Asaba in Delta State, Nigeria, hosted the last edition of the African Championships in 2018. Some selected Nigerian athletes are already in the United States where other means of qualification are being explored.