Despite Coronavirus fears, AP Invitational will be held on schedule
Aliann Pompey
Aliann Pompey

… Event set for June 4 at National Track and Field Centre

By Rawle Toney

AS the Coronavirus hits the Caribbean, forcing the Grenada Invitational Track and Field meet to be put on hold, Aliann Pompey, the founder of her AP Invitational, told Chronicle Sport in an exclusive interview yesterday, that her event, set for June 4 at the National Track and Centre, is on schedule.

Concerns regarding the spread of the deadly COVID-19 virus has led the postponement of April 4 Grenada Invitational, organisers said in a release yesterday.

According to reports, in recent weeks, the Coronavirus has spread to 111 countries and has infected more than 100 000 persons across the globe, killing more than 3000.

It is against this background that the Local Organising Committee of what has become one of the Caribbean’s most-talked-about track and field events, have made a decision they described as difficult.

“I think it was a good idea for them to do that (postpone the event), especially since we’re at the height of it,” said Pompey, who is also the president of the PanAm Sports Athlete Commission.

The Commonwealth Games 400m gold medallist further revealed that “there are some other cancellation that are going to come about pretty soon (that will be publicised), but the Jamaica meet, for example, that is around that time are still on the schedule.”

As first reported by www.sportsmax.tv, 2016 double Olympic champion, Elaine Thompson-Herah, 2011 World Champion Yohan Blake, and Olympic and World Champion Kirani James were to be among the headliners of the 2020 Grenada Invitational.

Also confirmed were the likes of Briana Williams, Kendra Harrison, Asafa Powell, Justin Gatlin, and Tajay Gayle.

“The Olympics are still on as scheduled as of now and the athletes are still don’t have a lot of opportunity to compete, so I have gotten a lot of interest in the meet over the last few days because it looks like it’s going to be one of the last ones standing. Of course, all that being said, we will have to keep our eyes on what the international recommendations are going to be as time goes by,” Pompey said.

This year’s AP Invitational will be part of the recently structured World Athletics 2020 Continental Tour. 

The Continental Tour will be divided into three levels – Gold, Silver and Bronze – whose status will be determined by the quality of competition and prize money on offer.

World Athletics is investing in the Gold level meetings, which will offer US$200 000 in prize money, to increase the number of high-quality competitive opportunities available to showcase our sport’s best athletes.

Area associations will be responsible for managing the Silver (US$75 000 prize money) and Bronze level competitions (US$25 000). There will be ten Silver and up to 50 Bronze meetings.

Those disciplines that are not included in this year’s Wanda Diamond League final – 200m, 3000m steeplechase, triple jump, discus – will be core events in the Continental Tour Gold meetings, as will the hammer throw. Each will have guaranteed prize money of US$20 000 at each meeting.

Performances in those events will attract the same level of world ranking points as the core Diamond League disciplines, and the overall tour winners will receive wildcard entry to the World Athletics Championships Oregon 2021.

Pompey, a four-time Olympian, will hold the Invitational for the fifth time this year, with the inaugural meet hosting 11 athletes who went on to compete in the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio.

The 2020 Continental Tour will span across six continents and offers athletes the opportunity to receive world-ranking points that will count toward the 2020 Olympic Games and World Championships.

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