Akii-Bua Memorial competition gets IAAF ranking status
May 29, 2019
Top eight finishers of the ten invitational events in both competitions will earn cash with the winner pocketing sh350,000.
Uganda has registered a key landmark with two of its competitions being granted IAAF ranking status by the world athletics governing body.
The Akii-Bua Memorial due this weekend and the July 26 to 27 national championship are the two meets.
Top eight finishers of the ten invitational events in both competitions will earn cash with the winner pocketing sh350,000.
Previously, only excelling performers at the national championship were rewarded.
This IAAF ranking in effect means a window to key competitions like the Olympics via the new qualifi cation format of IAAF world ranking.
Qualification can also be through the traditional entry standard process via performance in the respective qualification period.
According to a Uganda Athletics Federation release, the Akii-Bua memorial has accordingly been upgraded to an invitational status.
An agreed 10 disciplines (6 male and 4 female) on the competition programme will be competed for at the event.
It will only feature the top eight athletes in the men-100m, 400m, 1500m, long jump, discus and 10,000m and women-400m, 800m, javelin, and 5000m.
An invitation will be based on national ranking in events so far held in 2019. Only the 5000m and 10000m will each have more runners. The women's 5000m and men's 10,000m will be the longest races of the day.
Dual qualification system After extensive consultation with key stakeholders, IAAF this year decided to introduce a dual qualifi cation system.
It combines the traditional method of achieving the entry standards and the new world ranking system, to determine which athletes are eligible for the Tokyo Olympic Games 2020 selection and subsequent World Athletics Series.
The process is designed to achieve about 50 percent of the target numbers for each event through Entry Standards and the remaining 50 percent through the IAAF World Ranking System.
The competition will provide participants with Uganda's biggest track and field pay day.
Winners in the invitational events will pocket sh350,000.
The 400m hurdles where John Akii-Bua won a gold medal at the 1972 Olympics in a 47.82 world record, will be the day's special event with the