Some significant changes have been made to the 2010/11 domestic track and field season, with Athletics South Africa (ASA) introducing two interprovincial championships in the six-event Yellow Pages Series.
The senior season, extended significantly by a four-event coastal summer series in December, will conclude with the SA Championships, which will again be held in Durban, in April.
The traditional Yellow Pages Series will start in Potchefstroom on February 19 before moving on to Pretoria (February 25) and Stellenbosch (March 10).
Two interprovincial meetings will then be held in Germiston on March 26 and Bellville on April 16.
Athletics South Africa’s 17 provinces will be invited to enter teams of 20 athletes (10 men and 10 women) and points will be scored according to the IAAF points table.
The national senior championships, which will act as trials for the World Athletics Championships in Daegu, South Korea, will be held in Durban on April 8 and 9.
ASA board chairman James Evans, hoped the extended season, which includes 10 senior events over a period of four months, would ensure respectable medal hauls at the All Africa Games in Maputo in July and the global championships in August.
“I am confident the new-look calendar is athlete friendly and in the interest of allowing our athletes to deliver quality performances at the right times of the season in line with the bigger picture of doing SA proud on the international stage later in the year,” Evans said in a statement.
The SA Junior and Youth Championships will take place in Germiston on April 1 and 2, and the three-day SA Student Championships will be staged in Stellenbosch between April 28 and 30. – Sapa