By John Kwoba

NAIROBI, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Kenya and Uganda will send teams to the inaugural Commonwealth Half Marathon Championships, which will be held in Cardiff, Wales on October 7.

Over 50 countries and regions are expected to compete, including Australia, Canada, South Africa and Nigeria.

Athletics Kenya (AK) President Jack Tuwei said that Kenya intends to dominate the race.

"We will be part of the Commonwealth family and will select some upcoming athletes to represent Kenya," said Tuwei on Saturday in Nairobi.

Elite athletes from across the globe will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Cardiff Empire Games when they battle it out ahead of 25,000 runners of all ages and abilities on the 21km course.

Cardiff is no stranger to hosting world-class running events. In 2016, Kenya's Geoffrey Kamworor beat Britain's Mo Farah to gold at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships on the streets of the Welsh capital.

"It is an honor to bring the Commonwealth Half Marathon Championships to Cardiff and I'm certain it will prove to be another major addition to the rich sporting history of the city," said Welsh Athletics Chief Executive Matt Newman.

Women's marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe also voiced her approval of the Welsh capital holding the event. "It's a really nice prospect. The Commonwealth Games are always really friendly Championships and Cardiff staged an amazing IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in 2016."