Let us do more for youth ahead of U-18 event

World Under-18 Athletics Championships' Local Organising Committee CEO Mwangi Muthee takes the event’s patron, First Lady Margaret Kenyatta, on a tour of facilities at Kasarani on May 23, 2017. PHOTO | CHRIS OMOLLO |

As we strive to ensure all is well ahead of the IAAF World Under-18 Championships in Nairobi in July, we should prioritize in the youth who will fly Kenya’s flag in the event.

The focus has no doubt been on the upgrade of facilities with little attention being given to the youths whose efforts will define the country’s at the championships.

It will be useless for us to host a success championships but trail the visitors on the table standings.

This is why I am calling for the government’s involvement in ensuring everything is working on all fronts. Of course, training has been going on in various camps although the youths have not received the kind of support they require to motivate them.

DONE THEIR BEST

Coaches too have done their best for the love of the game with minimum incentives.

With barely a month to the international festival, focus needs to turn to the youths who parade Thursday at the Kipchoge Keino Stadium, Eldoret for the pre-trials.

Thursday’s event is meant to sieve the wheat from the chaff ahead of the national trials next month.

In my recent rounds at the youths camps, I have realised the country has huge masses of talent and all the government needs to do is cast its net wider in terms of delivering sports facility.

I am now convinced that we are doing badly in field events because we have chosen to. As a country, we can turn things around and use sports to keep our youth busy.

At the moment, we need a lot of government support if we are to put together a team that will finish on top of the world after placing second two years ago behind United States in Colombia.

KEEP THE FIRE BURNING

I want to thank Athletics Kenya (AK) regions for keeping the fire burning despite numerous challenges and the meagre resources they have had from the government.

However, a time has come when the youth committee and government must work together to build a team that will ensure Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani is filled to the brim during the event proper.

In fact, the prestigious event should give us a platform to re-organise youth structures for the sake of the future.

We know the likes of world 800m record holder David Rudisha, Olympic 5,000m champion Vivian Cheruiyot and Olympic 1,500m champion Faith Chepng'etich are products of youth structures and I believe we can do more.