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Athletics-Nigeria to host last chance for African athletes to qualify for Olympics

FILE PHOTO: Giant Olympic rings at a park ,amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak

CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - Nigeria has agreed to host next month’s African Athletics Championship as a replacement for Algeria, keeping alive an opportunity for many athletes to achieve Olympic qualification.

Many athletes faced missing out after Algeria requested a postponement because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The championship had been set for Algiers but will now be held in Lagos from June 23-27, the Confederation of African Athletics said on Wednesday.

Nigeria hosts the championship for a second successive time after Asaba played host to the last event in 2018.

The championship will be the last opportunity for many African athletes to achieve Olympic qualifying times, heights and distances.

(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Toby Davis)