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Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter

THE World Athletics Indoor Championships in March 2020 will mark the beginning of the international athletics programme in what will be a packed athletics season that will be spiced by the Tokyo Olympic Games.

In a statement released yesterday, World Athletics said the season opener will be held from March 13-15 in Nanjing, China, followed two weeks later by the World Athletics Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia, Poland, on March 29.

“An exciting year of athletics may be drawing to a close, but another packed programme is on the horizon for 2020. 

‘‘The big focus of the year, though, will be the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games,” reads the statement from World Athletics, previously known as the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

The World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships will be held from May 2-3 in Minsk, Belarus, with African middle and long distance powerhouse Kenya hosting the World Athletics Under-20 Championships in Nairobi from July 7-12.

“Throughout the year the world’s leading athletes will compete in various annual series such as the Diamond League, the newly formed World Athletics Continental Tour, Label road races, the World Athletics Indoor Tour, the World Challenge Combined Events, the World Challenge Race Walking and Cross-Country Permit meetings. Factoring in various area championships across a range of age groups and surfaces, 2020 is set to be a busy and enthralling year for the sport,” reads the statement.