2021 African Athletics Championships Will Not Hold In Lagos

Sanwo-Olu Has No Hand In Obasa’s Impeachment - Akosile
Sanwo-Olu Has No Hand In Obasa’s Impeachment - Akosile

COVID-19 has stopped Lagos State from hosting the African Athletics Championships.

Gatekeeper News reports that COVID-19 has halted Lagos State’s plan to host the 2021 edition of the African Athletics Championships Nigeria as earlier anticipated.

The Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19 highlighted aftermath dangers to Nigeria if the Athletes Meet in Lagos.

The refusal of the PSC on COVID-19 to give the Federal Ministry of Sports and the Lagos State government a go-ahead has stopped Lagos from hosting the championship for the second time in 32 years.

The continental championship which was originally meant to hold in Algeria was moved to Lagos and scheduled to hold between June 23 and 27, 2021 at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere. However, this plan has been halted by Coronavirus.

According to PSC, after careful deliberation and consideration of the proposed event, the increasing trend of COVID-19 cases in certain countries coupled with the widespread prevalence of mutant strains of the virus outside Nigeria poses the risk of importation of these mutant strains.

The PSC also restated that the delay in vaccinating a large proportion of Nigerians due to the global shortage in the supply of vaccines may lead to a risk of another wave of infections in the nation.

The PSC, however, concluded that hosting an event like the African Championship at this time will constitute a threat to the achievements that have been made in mitigating the COVID-19 pandemic.

This last-minute withdrawal is a big blow to the Confederation of African Athletics, as it has been working tirelessly to ensure the event serves as the last major qualifying window to the Olympics for Africa’s athletes.