By Victor Kanayo
Nassau, capital of Bahamas has been picked as host for the 2024 edition of World Relays.
The athletics event which equally serves as a qualifier for the Paris 2024 Olympics, will take place in the venue which held the first three versions of the competition.
Speaking after a two-day World Athletics Council meeting in Rome, the International Federation President, Sebastian Coe, said, “This is an important Olympic Games qualifier – we added the jeopardy of making sure this event had the added component of qualification and it was considered that The Bahamas were the best choice in terms of conditions and atmosphere engendered for the athletes.”
Coe added that he had spoken to the team leadership of the other bidder for the event, Lausanne, immediately after the Council’s decision.
“I explained the situation, and I know they are very keen to remain in that landscape maybe for future bids,” he said.
The creation of a World Relays event for 2024 followed the announcement in October that next year’s planned World Relays in Guangzhou had been postponed until April or May 2025 due to China’s continuing and now controversial COVID-19 policies.
Nassau, after hosting three consecutive times in 2014, 2015 and 2017, the World Relays have been held in Yokohama, Japan in 2019 and Chorzow in Poland last year.
