Kit sponsors Nike distance selves from Nock mess
National Rugby seven-aside captain Andrew Amonde addressing the media on 1st April 2014. Olympic Committee of Kenya (Nock) secretary-general FK Paul Wednesday confirmed to Daily Nation Sport that the Rugby Sevens national team was the only squad among the 15 participating disciplines featuring in the competition that had received their kits.
What you need to know:
- According to Nike’s marketing manager in charge of International Federations, Robert Lotwis, an email from the sportswear on June 11, 2014, requesting an Import Declaration Form (IDF, a document that declares amount of goods set for importation and their values) for shipment of the kits was greeted with no response from Nock.
Just who should shoulder the blame for the delay in supply of Team Kenya’s Commonwealth Games training and competition kits?
Though the Government has already flown out the first batch of athletes to Glasgow ahead of commencement of the Games next Wednesday, National Olympic Committee of Kenya (Nock) secretary-general FK Paul Wednesday confirmed to Daily Nation Sport that the Rugby Sevens national team was the only squad among the 15 participating disciplines featuring in the competition that had received their kits.
The other batch of kits can be located either in the United States of America or at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) consignment stores - or somewhere in between, depending on whom between Nock and the team’s official kit suppliers Nike, you believe.
According to documents in our possession, the kits might have been lying at JKIA for the past 12 days with Nock either unaware or less concerned.
According to Nike’s marketing manager in charge of International Federations, Robert Lotwis, an email from the sportswear on June 11, 2014, requesting an Import Declaration Form (IDF, a document that declares amount of goods set for importation and their values) for shipment of the kits was greeted with no response from Nock.
“Between 12/6/2014 and 26/6/2014 while in Kenya, I spoke multiple times to FK Paul about getting IDF needed to get this product shipped, nothing is done by him,” Lotwis claims in his email.
Shocking revelation
The Nike official adds: “On 26/06/2014, I have one official meeting with him before I leave the country and bring Joseph Kinyua as witness.
Paul claims he never received invoice for the product from Nike. I immediately asked for the invoice recent.” Joseph Kinyua is former Athletics Kenya treasurer.
Lotwis, who claims the kits were eventually shipped on 02/07/2014, (and consignment expected in Kenya within three days) also goes on to make another shocking revelation: “When Nock placed their order for the Commonwealth Games, they failed to order product for the Athletics team.
“They ordered product for numerous teams but failed to order product for the team that had the most success for Kenya.”
FK Paul has, in his response, blamed the delay on ‘the system’, while adding some of the kits delivered by Nike ‘are not fitting’, indicating that this is not the first time they are experiencing this.
