Over 300 athletes are expected to turn up at the National Heroes Stadium in Lusaka to compete for last minute qualifying spots for four major upcoming international athletics events.
ZAAA Secretary General, Davison Mung’ambata, said the All Comers Meet set for May 22, 2022 at National Heroes Stadium is a last minute qualifying opportunity for athletes still itching to be selected and represent the country in Colombia, Mauritius, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
ZANIS Sports reports that Mung’ambata said the tournament, which has attracted 320 athletes, will also be used to gauge the preparedness of athletes that have already qualified for the four international events.
The ZAAA Secretary General named the upcoming events as the Senior African Championships in Mauritius that will be held from June 8 to 12, 2022.
He said the other events are the World Championships for senior athletes to be staged in Eugene Oregon, USA, from July 15 to 24, 2022 and the U-20 world championships set for the City of Cali in Colombia from August 4 to 6, 2022.
Mung’ambata said the national athletic tournament will also provide adequate preparations for athletes that will be heading to the Commonwealth Games to be held in Birmingham City, United Kingdom from July 28 to August 6, 2022
The Lusaka All Comers Meet has also attracted 28 athletes from the region with Zimbabwe expected to send 20, Mozambique four, while Botswana and Namibia will each send two athletes.
Mung’ambata said the presence of athletes from the region will provide fierce competition for Zambian athletes that will help them in their preparations for the upcoming four major athletic events scheduled to run over the next three months.