Kenya's Nairobi Continental Tour rescheduled for October
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E-mail Xinhua, August 12, 2020
NAIROBI, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- The World Athletics Continental Tour Gold in Nairobi originally slated for September 26 has been pushed back by a week to October 3.
The event is set to be Kenya's first sporting event since the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown in March.
The organizers made the adjustment following the rescheduling of the Doha Diamond League from October 9 to September 25.
"We saw the need to amend the dates to give Kenyan runners a great opportunity to run at home after they are done with the Doha Diamond League, which is just a day before our original competition date. The athletes themselves were concerned with events happening just a day apart," race director Barnaba Korir told Xinhua on Wednesday.
Korir also disclosed that Athletics Kenya and the country's ministries of sports and health are working on ensuring fans can enjoy the action at the 30,000-seater stadium.
"We are working with the government to ensure all the health protocols regarding COVID-19 are followed by giving at least 15,000 fans a chance to watch the action live at the stadium. The general preparation is at an advanced stage and we want to present to the world a classy event," said Korir, who is also an Athletics Kenya executive member.
The first leg of the continental tour was held on Tuesday in Turku, Finland while Szekesfehervar, Hungary will play host to the second edition on August 19, with the Seiko Golden Grand Prix 2020 in Tokyo set for August 23.
The Kamila Skolimowska Memorial in Chorzow, Poland and the 59th Ostrava Golden Spike-Ostrava, the Czech Republic will be held on September 6 and 8 respectively before the Nairobi event.
Kenya's middle- and long-distance stars are expected to grace their home event.
The meeting is designed to provide athletes with more high-caliber competitive opportunities to earn prize money and world ranking points while reaching fans in nearly every corner of the world.
The tour is divided into gold, silver and bronze levels, with the status determined by the quality of competition and prize money on offer. Enditem
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