The World Athletics Relays Trials early scheduled to take place on April 11-13 have been brought forward to April 6 to ensure the teams qualify within the set period.
The World Relays Championships will take place on May 4-5 in Nassau, Bahamas, with the qualification period slotted for January 1, 2023, to April 7, 2024.
“The trials, initially set for April 11-13 at Nyayo Stadium, have been moved up to April 6 to accommodate the qualification period,” said a statement from Athletics Kenya.
Only the top 32 ranked nations will qualify for the event with the top eight teams from the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest receiving automatic qualification.
From the Bahamas meeting, only the top 14 teams in each category will secure a slot for the Summer Olympics scheduled for July 26-August 11.
The men’s 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams are currently ranked 18th and 22nd respectively, while the mixed relay quartet is ranked 19th.
Participation will be by invitation based on the 2024 World Athletics top list in compliance with anti-doping requirements. AK will also invite teams from other countries to compete.
Events at the trials will include the 4x100m and 4x400m for both men and women, as well as the mixed 4x400m relay.
Coach Stephen Mwaniki highlighted the importance of the ASA Grand Prix continental tour slated for Wednesday in Johannesburg, South Africa in improving the country's ranking.
“We will use the South African meet to improve our ranking,” Mwaniki noted.
With the date change, the fourth AK track and field weekend meeting, initially set for April 5-6 in Kisii, has been rescheduled to April 12-13, with the venue to be announced later.
Additionally, the African Championships scheduled for June 19-23 in Cameroon have been confirmed.
