Tough rules for schools ahead of East Africa games
What you need to know:
- Teams that will represent Kenya at the championships will hold a three-day training camp in Busia from August 14.
The Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association (KSSSA) has set tough rules in a bid to curb age cheating ahead of the East Africa Secondary Schools Games in Gulu, Uganda from August 18.
At the same time, teams that will represent Kenya at the championships will hold a three-day training camp in Busia from August 14.
KSSSA chairman Kimutai Ngetich on Wednesday said all the Kenyan teams for the championships will not be allowed to make any changes to the team list that took part in the national games unless they get approval from the Ministry of Education.
This he said will ensure that only legitimate students are included in the list for the games as opposed to the past where cases of age cheating have been rampant.
According to Ngetich, team coaches will have to send a request through their county director of education to the Ministry before any changes are effected to the team lists.
“We have had cases where non students have found their way into our games which is a very serious offense and will not be tolerated this time round,” he said, adding that cases where talented students failed to appear in the list due to injuries or other technicalities will be considered.
DEFEND TITLE
Ngetich expressed confidence that Kenya, who will send a much bigger contingent to the games than in previous years, will successfully defend the overall title.
Kenya will send an extra team in all disciplines where the country won the gold at the last year’s championships in Eldoret.
Kenya won gold in football (boys), basketball (girls), volleyball (boys and girls), hockey (boys and girls), rugby sevens, rugby 15’s and handball (boys and girls) and some selected racquet games, swimming and athletics.
Ngetich also confirmed that St Mary’s Yala has replaced Laiser Hill Academy in the Rugby 15’s after the later was found guilty of fielding ineligible players during the national secondary school games in Nairobi in April.
“Fielding many teams at the championships will give us an opportunity to out muscle our opponents,” he said.
Ngetich, who is also the vice chairman of the Federation of the East Africa Secondary Schools Games, said the draws for the championships will be held next week in Gulu, Uganda.
