NAIROBI, Sept. 29 -- Athletics officials in Kenya have announced major changes in their local schedule in order to accommodate seven major international and continental events that will take place during the 2017/2018 calendar of events.

Athletics Kenya (AK) Senior Vice-President in Charge of Competitions, Paul Mutwii, said the calendar of track and field season will commence in early November 2017 away from the traditional March date and end in April 2018.

"We were compelled to make the changes because the Commonwealth Games have been brought forward from the traditional month of August to April," he said on Thursday evening.

The second round will begin in May after the Commonwealth Games to pave way for preparations for Africa Senior Athletics Championships.

The international and continental events that Kenya will participate in include the World Indoor Championships scheduled for March 2018 in Birmingham, England; Africa Cross Country Championships to be held in Chlef, Algeria in March; and the World Half Marathon in Valencia, Spain (March 24).

Others are the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia (April 8-15); Africa Senior Athletics Championships in Delta State, Nigeria (August 1-5); and Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires, Argentina on October 6-18.

Mutwii said that during the first round of the season AK will only hold weekend meetings which will culminate with the trials to select athletes for the Commonwealth Games.

"During the first round of the season, we will not hold regional and national championships because we shall be holding track and field, and cross country weekend meetings concurrently," he remarked.

He said the second round of the season will begin with AK weekend meetings before going to the regions ahead of national championships-cum-trials.

【体坛英语资讯：Kenyas athletics chiefs alter calendar to accommodate international events】相关文章：

★ 娱乐英语资讯：Dutch broadcasters unwilling to air controversial Koran film

★ 体坛英语资讯：We are one big happy family

★ 体坛英语资讯：O.J. Simpson faces felony charges

★ 体坛英语资讯：Federer back on track, Roddick into semis

★ 体坛英语资讯：Chinese lead table tennis qualifiers for Beijing

★ 娱乐英语资讯：Lindsay Lohan spends 84 minutes in jail

★ 体坛英语资讯：Joness agent suspended by US governing body

★ 体坛英语资讯：China fails to break no-win record jinx against S.Korea

★ 体坛英语资讯：Chinese champ pushes big seed at China Open

★ 体坛资讯：Iran fights back to draw China 2-2