Eighteen teams are due to compete in the European Athletics Team Championships Third League on June 19 and 20. The event will be held at Limassol’s Tsirion Stadium.

Of the 18 teams, seven have already secured participation in the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, for a total of 16 athletes.

Cyprus’ Amateur Sports Federation (Koeas) announced that ten out of the 16 athletes already qualified for the Games will feature during the event in Limassol.

Among the athletes due take part is Albania’s middle-distance runner Luiza Gega, who will compete in the 3000 metres steeplechase and the 5000m, Bosnia Herzegovina’s shot putter Mesud Pezer and Moldova’s Serghei Marghiev (hammer throw), Zalina Petrivskaya (hammer throw), Andrian Mardare (javelin throw), and Lilia Fisikovici (long distance runner), all of who will travel to Tokyo for the Games.

Georgia’s Bachana Khorava and Giorgi Mujaridze, who specialise in long jump and shot put will also take part in the event in Limassol. They have not yet secured their place at the Olympics and are hoping that the meeting will help boost their chances of making it.

Cyprus was relegated from the Second League two years ago, but the home contingent will be optimistic of securing one of the three promotion spots out of the Third League this June.

The island was represented by a total of seven athletes at the Rio Olympics, including prominent names such as Kyriakos Ioannou (high jump), Milan Trajkovic (110m hurdles), Apostolos Parellis (discus throw) and Eleni Artimata (200m).

Parellis, Trajkovic and Artimata, who will be competing at the event in Limassol, have already booked their spot for Tokyo.