Lagos State has been slated as the host for the 22nd edition of the biennial African Senior Athletics Championship. This is just as Nigeria is set to become the first country ever to host two consecutive editions of the competition.
The championship is billed to hold between June 23 and 27, 2021, at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere.
Delta State hosted the last edition of the championship and while Algiers was originally meant to follow, the Northern African country has given up its right for Lagos.
In a statement issued in Cairo, Egypt on Tuesday, Kalkaba Malboum, President of the Confederation of African Athletics and Sunday Dare, minister of youth and sports development of Nigeria-Lagos was chosen to host the crème de la crème of African athletics in an event that will serve as the last qualifying event for African athletes for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
”Following the meeting between the Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports Development of Nigeria, Sunday Dare and the President of the Confederation of African Athletics, Kalkaba Malboum, in Cairo on 24 May 2021, issues relating to the hosting of the 21st African Athletics Championships in Nigeria were fully deliberated upon and modalities for a successful hosting of the Championships were carefully mapped out.
“Nigeria is poised to host the Championships in the megacity of Lagos from 23 June to 27 June 2021, at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, with auxiliary support to be provided at the National Stadium, Surulere and the Yaba College of Technology, Yaba, both in Lagos.
“The Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development and the Confederation of African Athletics, are fully committed and working in synergy towards the delivery of a world-class Championships.
“In the coming days, more comprehensive details regarding the successful hosting of the Championships in Lagos, Nigeria, will be made public,” read the statement.
This will be the second time Lagos will be hosting this Championship having done so 32 years ago in 1989.
Nigeria is now tied with Egypt as the two African countries to host the championships three times since the inaugural edition in 1979 in Dakar, Senegal.
