On Monday, USA Observe and Discipline (USATF) introduced that they won’t ship a crew to this yr’s U20 World Championships in Lima, Peru, on the finish of August, because of security considerations.
The governing physique for athletics within the U.S. cited security, the late-summer date of the occasion, and considerations round aggressive readiness because the the explanation why they won’t be sending a crew.
BREAKING NEWS: @usatf has introduced that it’s going to not ship a crew to the 2024 World U20 Championships in Peru this August.
The explanations cited for not taking a crew to Peru this summer season embrace “security,” the “occasion date” and “aggressive readiness,” in response to a USATF launch. pic.twitter.com/Brf6E4LRtr
— MileSplit US (@milesplit) April 8, 2024
“After cautious consideration regarding each the home and worldwide athletics calendar, session among the many inside crew, recommendation of safety consultants, and related authorities authorities, it has been determined that USA Observe & Discipline won’t be sending a Workforce to the 2024 World Athletics Underneath-20 Championships in Peru,” USATF mentioned in a press launch. “We perceive that this determination could also be disappointing for many who had been wanting ahead to collaborating, however we’ve got the accountability to prioritize the security and safety of all concerned.”
On the earlier U20 World Championships in Cali, Colombia, in 2022, Workforce USA completed on the high of the medal desk with 15 medals (seven of them gold).
The U20 World Championships (previously World Junior Championships) are a significant stepping stone for lots of the sport’s future stars. World champions corresponding to Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet and Canadian hammer thrower Camryn Rogers all received medals on the U20 stage earlier than rising to superstardom as execs.
Final yr, The U.S. Authorities issued a Degree 2 journey warning on Peru, that means “Train elevated warning,” because of the ongoing crime and civil unrest in sure areas.
This isn’t the primary time USATF has determined to not ship a crew to the U20 World Championships. It’s the second time within the final three editions of the U20 World Championships that USATF won’t ship a crew. Additionally they didn’t ship a crew to the 2021 championships in Nairobi, Kenya, citing related causes.
USATF is scheduled to host the following version of the U20 World Championships in Eugene, Ore., in 2026.
