No one takes our athletes seriously, so why should they stay?

It's unfortunate that so many things are wrong with our country. There’s always something going on — insecurity, the economy, political scandals, corruption or homicides.

There is always something negative to talk about. That’s why when there is something to celebrate, it is nice that the whole country comes together.

When the World Cup is going on, for instance, the entire country is united in its love for football, not divided in hatred for one another.

If there’s one thing that brings people together, it is sports.

THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES

The Commonwealth Games events for some athletes ended on Sunday. Unbeknownst to most Kenyans, they were rife with little mishaps that overshadowed an otherwise premier event.

I spoke to one of the sportsmen who was there, who would prefer to remain unnamed. He said that apparently, their official kit was sitting at the airport, waiting for the National Olympic Committee (NOC) to pick it up for a whole two weeks.

Was the NOC being lazy, or do they not give a damn? Are they incredibly busy doing everything other than their jobs? I wonder.

The Kenyan kit at an overseas event is what identifies our athletes as Kenyan. They all wear the same colours and bear the same flag, whether they are training or competing. It is an essential part of any competitive event.

How shabby and disorganized do we look as a country if our athletes can’t even be uniform? It’s downright embarrassing. Our winning teams (because more often than not, they do win) went to Scotland without proper kit.

It is ridiculous that this should still be happening in 2014. You do remember the fiasco around the training camps for the Olympics in 2012,don’t you?

The training camps then were inadequate, so much so that Kenyan athletes opted to jet to and from London and train on their own time, and let’s be honest, this is where most of the gold medals come from. So what gives?

It is apparent that officials don’t, and indeed Kenya does not, take our sportsmen seriously. On top of all that, the athletes have been waiting to receive allowances, although some got them yesterday.

REPATRIOTISM

It is no small wonder, then, that Kenyans are expatriating themselves straight into other countries.

Four Kenyan athletes, namely Evans Kiplagat, Isaac Kipkemboi, Nicolas Chepseba and Amos Kibitok, who have reportedly "recently joined the physical culture academy in Kazan," have expressed their desire for nationalization in Russia.

Russia treats its athletes better than we do. So do Bahrain and Qatar, as is evident from previous exoduses.

This is a culture of "mercenary athleticism" that has plagued our shores for quite a while — whoever pays better gets the medals. But can you blame them? No one takes them seriously! Why should they stay?

"Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country," so the saying goes. It’s a saying from the United States — a country where systems for sportsmen actually work.

It’s not the same here. Something has to give. Your country has to do something for you. Patriotism doesn’t put food on the table.

They should run for whoever they want.

Patriotism, after all, did nothing for Conjestina.

Twitter: @AbigailArunga