Eldoret to host Olympic trials for first time

Kenya’s athletics trials for the Rio Olympic Games will be held at Eldoret’s Kipchoge Keino Stadium on June 14 and 15, with Team Kenya also setting up their pre-Olympic training camp in the North Rift region.

In a departure from tradition, the National Olympic Committee of Kenya yesterday announced they have reached the final decision to concentrate their pre-Olympics preparations in the counties of Uasin Gishu, Nandi and Elgeyo-Marakwet.

It will be the first time ever for the entire Kenyan contingent to the Olympics to train outside Nairobi.

The pre-Olympics residential camp in the North Rift starts on June 20.

NOCK’s executives held an afternoon meeting on Tuesday with Uasin Gishu Governor Jackson Mandago and his Elgeyo-Marakwet counterpart Alex Tolgos in which the two governors pledged financial and material support for Team Kenya.

The NOCK delegation will meet with Nandi Governor Cleophas Lagat in Kapsabet on Wednesday.

“The North Rift region is conducive for training and will offer the athletes the best preparations for the Rio Games,” NOCK president and middle distance legend Kipchoge Keino said during Tuesday’s meeting held at Eldoret’s Boma Inn Hotel and also attended by senior officials from Uasin Gishu and Elgeyo-Marakwet counties. Also present was Stephen Soi, the chef de mission of Team Kenya, NOCK secretary F.K. Paul and treasurer Fridah Shiroya.

Governors Mandago and Tolgos said they will mobilise the eight counties under the North Rift Economic Bloc (Noreb) to muster resources needed by Team Kenya.

“The camp is actually being brought to its natural habitat,” Governor Mandago said. “We will offer all the support required for team Kenya, including refurbishing the facilities as required and offering logistical support.”

Tolgos said the move by the Olympics body was great for the North Rift region that would converge under the Noreb banner to ensure Team Kenya gets all the financial and logistical support they need.

“The team camping in our region will also inspire the young sports men and women here to develop their talent,” Governor Tolgos said.

“We have great talent that can come in handy in sports like archery,” Tolgos added.

Kenya has so far qualified teams in sevens rugby (men and women), boxing and archery.

Soi said accreditation for the Games closes this Friday and urged Mandago to refurbish the Kipchoge Keino Stadium ahead of the athletics trials and training camp.

Mandago noted that they were still waiting to be handed the stadium by the national government and was quick to add that they will, nonetheless, already start working on the grounds, including a warm-up track.

“We are committed to the success of the team and my county, along with the counties of Nandi and Elgeyo-Marakwet will mobilise resources to do what is required,” Mandago said.

Controversy surrounded Kenya’s preparations for the 2012 London Olympics with Athletics Kenya and NOCK divided over Team Kenya’s pre-Olympic training camp in Bristol, England.

This time round, NOCK will concentrate the preparations in the North Rift with the sevens rugby team scheduled to train in Nandi County at the Nandi Bears Club while the marathon team will be based in Iten and the track and field athletes split between Eldoret and Iten.

The rest of the teams will be train intermittently within Elgeyo-Marakwet, Uasin Gishu and Nandi counties.