27 May 2021

Nigeria has stepped in to host the 21st African Athletics Championships from June 23-27 at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos. This comes after Algeria pulled out of hosting the event due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking in an interview on Wednesday, Botswana Athletics Association (BAA) vice president  -  administration, Oabona Theetso applauded the latest development.

He said despite late appointment of the new host, the championships would help athletes hone their skills as most of them were inactive since last year due to the COVID-19.

Since most sport activies have been suspended, he said some athletes would have the opportunity to use the championships to prepare for Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Also, he said some would use the championships for qualify for the Olympics. He highlighted that the last day for Olympics qualification was June 28.

He pointed out that COVID-19 had affected most of their preparations saying their were currently using invitations from other countries as part of athletes’ preparations for the Olympics.

Meanwhile, a statement from CAA says preparations for the championships are being deliberated upon and modalities for a successful hosting are carefully mapped out.

“In the coming days, more comprehensive details regarding the successful hosting of the championships in Lagos, Nigeria will be made public,” a statement says.

Meanwhile, Theetso said over nine athletes were taking part in an invitational competition in Pretoria, South Africa in a quest to qualify for the Africa Senior Championships.

So far, he said no athletes had qualified for the senior championships.

Athletes are participating in various categories including 400m, 800m, 1500m, 110m, and 400m hurdles.  ENDS