Nairobi, Dec 19 (IANS) The Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) said on Thursday it will revive the Pan African Athletics Tour in 2020 in a bid to cushion the continent’s athletes after a snub by the World Athletics Diamond League.
The announcement is part of the CAA to cushion its athletes after a majority will lose out in 2020 when the new Diamond League new format rolls out.
World Athletics has already confirmed that 3,000 metres steeplechase, 5,000m, discus throw, triple jump, and 200m have been axed as core events for the 2020 IAAF Diamond League, Xinhua news agency reported.
CAA President Hamad Malboum Kalkaba confirmed that six cities have been selected for the one-day meeting, which will offer African athletes another stage to compete at the international level and earn money.
South Africa, Kenya and Ethiopia are among the six countries that will stage the competition, which will rival the Diamond League. Cameroon, Djibouti and Congo Brazzaville have also been considered.
“The one-day meetings will be staged in cities Nairobi, Addis Ababa, Pretoria and Yaounde. Djibouti, the town of Ayanleh Souleiman, is a surprise pick,” said Kalkaba in a statement on Thursday.
“Congo too will get to use the 2015 African Games track in Brazzaville,” he added.
Though the Diamond League stands out as the most lucrative, paying each meeting winner $10,000 and a jackpot of $50,000 at the end of the circuit for the series winners, the Pan Africa Tour will strive to offer lucrative packages for the athletes to rival the World Athletics World Challenge circuit, where athletes make $5,000 each for every win.
“CAA is happy to inform that the 2020 edition of the Continental Circuit of one-day meetings will take place in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Brazzaville (Congo), Djibouti (Djibouti), Nairobi (Kenya), Pretoria (South Africa) and Yaounde (Cameroon),” said Kalkaba.
These meetings, which are to be held between March 1 and May 31, 2020, have received official confirmation from the federations concerned.
–IANS
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