This summer’s major championships have either been cancelled or postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic but Armand Duplantis and Daniel Stahl will assume team duties for Sweden at a new look Karlstad GP, a World Continental Tour Bronze Label Meeting, on 8 July.
In order to adapt to current restrictions which are in force, the Karlstad GP will take the form of a Sweden v Norway match across the ten events comprising the decathlon programme. Duplantis and Stahl will therefore provide Swedish representation in the pole vault and discus respectively.
A similar concept will play out in the women’s competition. Athletes from Norway and Sweden will go head-to-head across the seven events which make up the heptathlon programme and meeting organiser Johan Engberg is hopeful the Swedish team can produce a score in excess of Carolina Kluft’s European record of 7032 points.
The women’s team for Karlstad is set to include Khaddi Sagnia in the long jump and national record-holder Fanny Roos in the shot put.
The two-way match could be expanded to allow a pan-European team to compete as well although this development is still to be confirmed. The event will take place behind closed doors although the meeting will be televised live on Swedish television.
The Karlstad GP will be streamed live for UK viewers on Vinco Sport here and there is coverage on RunnerSpace.com for US and Canadian viewers. The event will also be televised live on STV2 from 6.00pm local time.