Godfrey Khotso Mokoena of RSA in action in the Long Jump final (© Getty Images)
Athletics South Africa, together with partner Yellow Pages, has announced its improved calendar of events for 2011. The focus on getting the sport and its star athletes to shine throughout the entire country is inspiring and demonstrates the spirit of the Athletics’ World Plan.
SA track and field stars will be out to shine and take full advantage of the new-look Athletics SA calendar 2011, when Yellow Pages athletics action reaches all parts of the country, starting in February next year.
Following on from the four new Yellow Pages Summer Series meetings to be held in December 2010, the 2011 summer season will start with a Yellow Pages Series event in Potchefstroom on Saturday, February 19. The calendar then includes Yellow Page Summer Series moving around the country, the introduction of two ‘team’ events, the Junior and Youth Championships and the Senior Championships taking place in April. Student athletics is expected to reach a new high in 2011, with Yellow Pages sponsoring the Yellow Pages ASA Student Championships which will take place in Stellenbosch at the end of April.
“With the addition of the 4 Yellow Pages Summer Series events in December and the re-positioning of the Yellow Pages Series and Yellow Pages Interprovincial Series dates, I am confident that 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,” said ASA board chairman James Evans.
“ASA is pleased to work hand in hand with our loyal sponsor Yellow Pages, towards creating family fun-filled athletics entertainment, in allowing new talent to have opportunities of running against their heroes, and allowing the heroes to continue enhancing their image as role models across all communities, most notably to the future of SA, namely the youth.”
Lionel Smith, GM Marketing of Trudon (Publishers of Yellow Pages), added that SA is on the brink of experiencing a dose of Yellow Pages athletics fever that is sure to be an inspiration to sports fans and participants all around the country.
How has your organisation refocused your national events calendar to further promote the sport of Athletics? If you want to share some of your own experiences please contact us at worldplan@iaaf.org with a short summary, and a member of our editorial team will contact you. Together, we can share in the spirit of the Athletics’ World Plan.