This archive report was first published on 6 December 2019.
On December 6, 2019, Kenyan and Ethiopian leaders made a joint call for the formation of a regional athletics championship to keep alive disciplines dropped from the World Athletics Diamond League series.
The decision by World Athletics to remove the 3000m steeplechase event from the 2020 Diamond League calendar sparked calls for Africa to develop its own race, particularly for distance competitions.
At the Annual Athletics Kenya (AK) athletes Conference in Eldoret, Ethiopian Ambassador to Kenya Meles Alem emphasized the need for East African countries to create their own series of events.
“Ethiopia and Kenya are not rivals but brothers of the same parents, which is why our two countries have great athletes. A few disciplines have been excluded from the diamond league, and so we have to look for ways we can bring these competitions to Kenya and Ethiopia and Africa at large,” said Alem.
Uasin Gishu County Governor Jackson Mandago supported the creation of another regional or continental championship, suggesting that it could be used to enhance the flow of tourists to the region.
Nandi County Governor Stephen Sang expressed the North Rift region's readiness to host international events but urged the government to expedite the construction of stalled stadiums in the region.
