Staff Reporter.
Though it remains unclear how the ongoing Covid pandemic might affect the 2022 season, Athletics South Africa (ASA) is hoping for a full campaign after releasing a full fixtures list.
The domestic season opens on 15 January, with the ASA 35km Race Walking Championships taking place in Cape Town and closes on 6 November with the Soweto Marathon – which had been forcibly postponed twice over the past two years due to the Covid pandemic.
Many other events are also set to return in the year, with some of the elite events making a comeback in the 2021 season with mass participation having recently been opened by government under strict health and safety guidelines when the country moved down to Level 1 restriction.
The 2022 track and field campaign features five ASA Grand Prix meetings in March and May in Bloemfontein, Cape Town (two meetings), Potchefstroom and Germiston, while the ASA U16, U18 and U20 Championships (made of sub-youth, youth and juniors, respectively) will be held in Potchefstroom between 30 March and 2 April. The ASA Senior Track & Field Championships are scheduled to take place in Cape Town on 21-23 April.
“We are looking forward to a great season next year after most of our domestic and international calendar was disrupted by the global pandemic over the last two seasons,” said James Moloi, the President of ASA. “Next year’s competitions will give followers an opportunity to satisfy their hunger of athletics and also mirror the depth of our athletes in Africa and the rest of the world.
“As the new season begins to unfold and move into full swing, we look forward to new champions, new rivalries and new records at national and world stage. Equally, the talk of a possible fourth wave and the start in the rise in new infections means we should keep our fingers crossed that it does not lead to government suspension of sports again.”
The calendar also includes the ASA Relays and Multi-Events Championships in Mpumalanga between 29-30 April, the ASA Track and Field trials for this year’s international championships, to be held in Durban on 27 and 28 May, and four Winter League meetings in June and July.
On the local road running circuit, the ASA Marathon Championships will be held in Durban on 8 May, the ASA Half-Marathon Championships will once again be incorporated into the Nelson Mandela Bay Half-Marathon in Gqeberha on 4 June. The ASA 10km Championships will be in Tshwane on 13 August.
Other road running events on the calendar include the Two Oceans ultra-marathon in Cape Town on 16 and 17 April, the Absa Cape Town 12k CityRun on 15 May, the Absa Durban 10k CityRun on 10 July, the Comrades Marathon in KwaZulu-Natal on 28 August, the Cape Town Marathon on 16 October, the Om Die Dam ultra-marathon in Hartbeespoort – whose date is yet to be confirmed and the six-leg Spar Women’s Grand Prix 10km series between April and October.
The domestic cross country calendar is headlined by the ASA Cross Country Trials at Potchefstroom on 22 January but it will be dependent on whether the CAA African Cross Country Championships takes place or not. The ASA Cross Country Championships will, however, be hosted in Rustenburg on 17 September.
The international fixtures list is highlighted by the CAA African Championships in Mauritius between 8-12 June, the World Athletics Championships (Senior Track & Field) in Oregon, USA on 15-24 July, the World Athletics U20 Championships in Cali, Colombia between 2-7 August, and the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England between 2-8 August.
The international campaign also features the World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships in Oman on 4 and 5 March, the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade, Serbia between 18-20 March, the IAU 100km World Championships in Berlin, Germany on 27 August, and the World Athletics Half-Marathon Championships in Yangzhou, China on 13 November.
“As the new season beginnings to unfold, we look forward to new champions, new rivalries and new records at national and world stage. Equally, the talk of a fourth wave and the start in the rise in new infections means we should keep our fingers crossed that it does not lead to government suspension of sports again.
“This means we need to continue the collective fight against the Corona virus by encouraging the next person to vaccinate, wash hands, properly wear masks, keep social distance of at 1.5 metres and do away with hugs and handshakes.”
For the full list of fixtures, find it on the following circular: CIRCULAR 51 of ASA 2021 – 2022 ASA FIXTURES LIST (NOVEMBER 2021 VERSION) – Athletics South Africa.