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Top international athletics will come to Auckland next month after the Black Singlet Invitational was confirmed to go ahead in Waitakere.
The city will host an international level track and field meet for the first time in 10 years on February 19 after receiving a permit from the International Amateur Athletics Federation.
The meet at the Trusts Stadium will slot neatly between international events in Sydney and Melbourne, with athletes already set to compete and train in Australia over summer being targeted by organisers.
Athletics New Zealand, along with Auckland Athletics and the Waitakere City Athletic Club, were planning eight "targeted" events to attract the best in the world to compete against New Zealand athletes.
Athletics New Zealand chief executive Scott Newman predicted the meet would provide the best athletics seen in New Zealand in a decade.
"This is a chance for our national representatives and Beijing Olympic aspirants to compete at home in front of home crowds against the very best from around the world," Newman said.
World champion shot putter Valerie Vili is expected to go head to head with some of her leading international rivals while local star Beatrice Faumuina was delighted at the prospect of competing at her training venue.
"I'm looking forward to my home crowd support and I hope we have a big crowd to help spur on the Kiwis competing," Faumuina said.
- NZPA
