The 2021 edition of the Aliann Pompey Invitation (API) hangs in the balance due to the current COVID-19 situation.
The international event which is a qualifier for the Olympic Games, is scheduled to be held on June 19 at the National Track and Field Centre. However, there is a temporary pause on the fixture since the organizers are still awaiting confirmation from the COVID-19 Task Force.
This is according to founder of the meet, four-time Olympian, Aliann Pompey who provided a media update yesterday.
“The issue is that we are still awaiting to hear back from the COVID-19 Task Force” said the 2002 Commonwealth Games gold medalist in the 400m.
Pompey, 43, added “Of course a number of issues were raised and obviously we want to make sure that this edition of the API is following all protocols for the safety of not just the athletes but the Guyanese public. So we are just awaiting word so we know exactly what the expectations are and in the meantime there is just a temporary pause on it.”
Pompey who competed at the World Championships on 11 occasions, stated that there is still a number of interested athletes who are eager to put their talents on display at the event with hopes of punching their ticket to the Olympic Games this summer.
“We have a number of interested athletes and agents that have reached out to us, so I believe that we would be fully able to full the field. There is enough athletes and enough interest to be able to go forward with the meet pending the COVID-19 Secretariat.”
With just 58 days before the scheduled start, the API fits perfectly on the international calendar, it is late enough to give athletes a chance to get in peak shape and it is well within the qualifying window for the Olympics Games. In talking with athletes and their agents, interest is substantial as they monitor the quickly changing travel restrictions and protocols to make API 2021 a reality.
Notes: At the last edition of the competition, held in 2019, some of Guyana’s best known Olympians were in attendance and honored during a special ceremony. James Wren-Gilkes, Jennifer Innis, Brittney Van Lange and Guyana’s only Olympic medalist Michael Parris (boxing), to name a few were presented special recognition awards.
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. It is therefore the hope of the event’s organizers to once again be seen as a conduit to the Tokyo Olympic Games.
