… June 19 event seen as ‘gateway’ to Tokyo

DESPITE awaiting confirmation from Guyana’s National COVID-19 Task Force, Aliann Pompey is anticipating a successful hosting of her fifth AP Invitational.
Scheduled for June 19 at the National Track and Field Centre, the AP Invitational could be one of the most important track and field events in South America and the Caribbean, since it can potentially be the last resort for athletes hoping to qualify for this year’s Tokyo Olympic Games.
With Pompey pointing to all systems in place for yet another successful hosting of her AP Invitational, she still has one more hurdle to surmount, telling Chronicle Sport yesterday, that “the issue is that we’re still waiting to hear from the COVID-19 secretariat. There are a number of issues that were raised and we want to make sure that this edition of the API is following all protocols, first and foremost, for the safety of not just the athletes but the Guyanese public”.
According to the Olympian and Commonwealth Games 400m gold and silver medallist, with this year’s event being on the World Athletics Continental Tour, it will be unlike any of the previous editions because of the ranking points at stake. “We have a number of interested athletes and agents who would have reached out to us, so I believe that we will fully be able to fill the fields,” Pompey said.

The St John’s University track coach noted that “there was just a temporary pause on it, but we’re pleased to say that there are enough athletes and there’s enough interest to go forward with the meet, pending the decision of the COVID-19 secretariat.” This year’s AP Invitational will be seen as the ‘gateway to Tokyo’, since it can be the last resort for local, regional and international athletes who are seeking qualification to the July 23 – August 3 Olympic Games in Japan.
The AP Invitational, which ran off its inaugural event in 2016, saw 11 athletes, all from overseas, move on to compete at the Olympic Games in Rio.
In February of 2020, AP Invitational was announced by World Athletics as part of its structured World Athletics Continental Tour.
World Athletics had stated that the impetus for creating the Continental Tour was to provide more competition and earning opportunities for more athletes.
The AP Invitational will be one of two events that will be held in South America on the World Athletics Continental tour; the other – the Brazil Grand Prix.
At the 2018 AP Invitational, Kirani James, the 2012 Olympic Champion and 2016 Olympic silver medallist, clocked 44.99 seconds to not only win the ‘AP’ Invitational 400 metres, but also set a new ‘Track Record’.