FALSE: Photo does not show the drought situation in Embolioi, Kajiado County, in October 2022
World Athletics on Tuesday via a statement invited potential hosts’ cities for six World Athletics Series events to register their interest by 1st June.
The world athletics federation president Sebastian Coe was full of praise of athletics events globally at the same time encouraging cities around the world to take the opportunity.
“By partnering with World Athletics, a host city takes on a global spotlight, driving the elite profile of athletics both locally and internationally, and encouraging more active communities through legacy programmes that we can help our host cities to develop,” World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said.
According to worldathletics.org bid guides for the 2024 and 2026 editions of the World Athletics Indoor Championships, World Athletics Cross Country Championships and World Athletics U20 Championships are now available.
The World Athletics Indoor Championships for instance has the world’s best track and field athletes competing in 26 championship events over three days of non-stop action.
The 2024 edition will be the final global championships in the lead-up to the Paris Olympic Games.
The World Athletics Cross Country Championships is the premier footrace for the world’s toughest runners. The event features five championship races – three for seniors and two for U20 athletes – while the World Masters Championships will also be incorporated into the programmer for the upcoming editions.
The World Athletics U20 Championships is a festival of track and field for the youth. Held over six days, it gives the world an opportunity to see the next generation of athletics stars in action.
This year, the global event has been scheduled in Kenya’s capital in the month of August from 17th to 22nd, something that has magnified Kenya’s ability to stage global events apart from dominating them athletically.
Further information has been given by the world athletics body in regards to the bid documents which contain pages of useful information for prospective host cities of World Athletics Series events, outlining the benefits for hosts, the social and environmental impact, and the revenue potential.
Bidding requirements, processes and timelines are also included in each bid guide.
In the midst of Corona virus pandemic, all stake holders eyes are now on Athletics Kenya and the ministry of sports to see whether another event can be successfully bid, taking into consideration that many sporting infrastructures in the country are being developed at a snail’s pace as others still lie in shambolic situations.
By Shadrack Andenga Odinga
Source: World Athletics