Coe happy with Kip Keino Classic plans
International Association of Athletics Federations president Sebastian Coe attends a presser following a meeting of the body's council in Doha ahead of the World Championships on September 23, 2019.
What you need to know:
- Coe also said the World Athletics Council has confirmed the competition format for a cross country event to be included in the Olympic Games
- World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said he was delighted at the prospect of cross country returning to the Olympic Games 100 years after it last appeared at the 1924 Paris Games
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe Thursday said he looks forward to Nairobi hosting a successful Kip Keino Classic on September 26.
Coe said World Athletics hopes the coronavirus situation would be manageable enough for Nairobi to host the leg of the Continental Tour at the Nyayo National Stadium.
“I know the Kenyan federation and Nairobi are full steam ahead with preparations. I’m in constant touch with (Athletics Kenya President) Jackson Tuwei,” Coe said. “I hope we will be in a position to host this event at this exceptional venue.”
Coe also said the World Athletics Council has confirmed the competition format for a cross country event to be included in the Olympic Games.
A screen grab from World Athletics President Sebastian Coe's virtual press conference on July 30, 2020. PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
The event, which has been proposed for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, would be a mixed team relay for 15 countries. Each team would be composed of two men and two women. Each member of the team would run two legs of the 2.5km course, alternating between male and female athletes as each athlete completes the 2.5km course and hands over to a teammate. World Athletics will meet with the Paris 2024 organising committee in the near future to work out further details of the proposal.
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said he was delighted at the prospect of cross country returning to the Olympic Games 100 years after it last appeared at the 1924 Paris Games. “My love for athletics began with cross country,’’ he said. “When I joined my first athletics club, Hallamshire Harriers, the club president was Joe Williams, who ran in the last Olympic cross country race in Paris in 1924. It would be hugely symbolic for this wonderful athletic discipline to return to the fold.”
