Kenyan teams start flying out next week for Olympics
What you need to know:
- Some officials depart next Wednesday ahead of the delegates’ registration meeting on July 22 and 23.
- The training camps for Team Kenya have been sponsored mainly by Tusker, Lotto, Safaricom and the North Rift county governments.
Kenya’s teams to the Rio Olympics will begin travelling to the Brazilian city from next week, the National Olympic Committee of Kenya has said.
Some officials depart next Wednesday ahead of the delegates’ registration meeting on July 22 and 23. The first batch of athletes flies out on July 24.
Sports Cabinet Secretary Hassan Wario and Team Kenya’s head of delegation Stephen Soi on Tuesday said all the athletes and officials will be paid their allowances before departure.
The Rugby Sevens head coach Benjamin Ayimba had asked for the team to leave late for Rio in order not to be affected by change of climate.
The rugby men’s and women’s teams are training at the Nandi Bears Club in Nandi County. Wario is expected to visit them on Wednesday.
Wario met with governors Jackson Mandago (Uasin Gishu), Alex Tolgos (Elgeyo-Marakwet), Deputy Governor Daniel Chemno (Uasin Gishu) along with other top North Rift to finalise the preparations of Team Kenya on Tuesday.
After paying a courtesy call on Governor Mandago at the Uasin Gishu County headquarters in Eldoret, the Cabinet Secretary inaugurated the athletics training camp at the High Performance Training Centre before travelling to Iten for another official engagement with Governor Tolgos at the Elgeyo-Marakwet County headquarters.
DOPING CLAIMS
The issue of doping allegations against Kenyan athletes has been prominent during the CS’ visit. Wario and governors Mandago and Tolgos were categorical that they would increase scrutiny of foreign journalists, officials and coaches visiting or working in the region.
“We have become far too far too trusting and far too generous to those training in our camps,” said Wario, regarding foreign athletes and managers littered across training camps in the North Rift region.
“We would not refuse foreign athletes from coming to train in our country, but we would be more vigilant and strict. In collaboration with the immigration department, we would have records of the people getting in and out of these camps,” Wario added.
The training camps for Team Kenya have been sponsored mainly by Tusker, Lotto, Safaricom and the North Rift county governments.
