WU-20 Championships pushed by a day

The World Under-20 Championships scheduled to be held in Nairobi between 17-22 August will now begin one day later on Wednesday 18 August, finishing on Sunday 22 August.

In a statement, World Athletics cited logistical challenges as the reason behind the change on the program for the World Junior Championships.

“The impact of Covid on teams travelling and logistics of moving vital equipment around the world have proven to be a challenge,” read the statement.

“However, the full athletics programme is able to be accommodated across five days rather than five-and-a-half days with minimal impact on the athletes attending from more than 100 countries.”

According to World Athletics, the new schedule delivers a fuller and faster paced event with the broadcast rights for the championships having been taken up by more than 14 countries, with 12 of them showing the event live.

While the world is still fighting the Covid-19 pandemic, World Athletics and the Local Organising Committee are is seeking to hold a safe and successful championships.

“We would like to thank our athletes and their teams, our suppliers and the local organising committee in Kenya for accommodating this change and working collaboratively in challenging times to stage a great championship for these young, promising athletes as they begin their athletics journey.”

The Championship is set to offer budding athletes opportunities to move on to the senior category ahead of next year’s World Championships in Oregon as well as the next edition of the Olympic Games to be held in Paris in 2024