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The dates for the 2009 and 2010 Comrades
Marathons were announced by the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) at a
special media briefing in Johannesburg
today. The 2009 '˜down' run will take place on Sunday, 24 May
and the 2010 'up' run will be held on Sunday, 30 May.
Comrades Marathon Association
Chairman, Dave Dixon explained that it would have been unfeasible to stage the
Comrades Marathon during the FIFA World Cup and the FIFA Confederations
Cup. 'The first World Cup match is on 11th June 2010, so we simply
cannot hold the Comrades during June, as we normally do - It will be impossible
to obtain essential resources. The SAPS and traffic authorities will be fully
occupied, attending to thousands of visitors while most of the country's
broadcast facilities will be tied up in the coverage of football
matches'.
President of Athletics South Africa,
Leonard Chuene further explained the reason for the shift in dates. 'In 2010, we have the FIFA World Cup from 11 June until 11 July, and in
2009, the FIFA Confederations Cup is currently scheduled for 14-28 June.
The Comrades Marathon Association thus applied for date changes for both these
years through KwaZulu-Natal Athletics, and in consultation with the relevant
local and provincial governments, Athletics South Africa has approved the new dates.'
'The CMA is hugely indebted to
KZNA and ASA for their support throughout this process. In 2007 the
leadership of the two federations negotiated with other key stakeholders when
the race was threatened - a potential crisis was averted thanks to their
intervention. Since January this year ASA and KZNA have facilitated the
consultations with the two host cities, Pietermaritzburg and Durban
in order to secure the new dates,' said Dixon.
The CMA would also like to
congratulate the President of ASA, Leonard Chuene, with his re-election as
President of the national federation and pledge our support for the President
and his executive on their initiatives to develop athletics in South Africa.
The CMA believes that the new
Comrades dates will benefit the sport in that the national attention will
remain focused on the Comrades Marathon ahead of the Confederations Cup in 2009
and the FIFA World Cup in 2010.
'We therefore felt it
appropriate to move the race forward in anticipation of 2010', explained Dixon.
The CMA must thank Athletics South
Africa, KwaZulu-Natal Athletics and the municipalities of Msunduzi and
eThekwini for their assistance in making this change possible.
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