Early plans essential for 2018 success

Three weeks after the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (Nock) elections, it’s time to now focus fully on the assignment ahead as the Commonwealth Games fast approaches.

The Commonwealth Games will no doubt be the first litmus test for the current Nock office and their performance will be measured against the bungled Olympic Games.

This is why the current office led by Paul Tergat need to hit the ground running and ensure they recover the time lost during the Nock polls campaigns.

First, the office will have to ensure not only the performance is up to expectation but also the wrongs they made in last year’s Rio Olympics are rectified.

Already, we have seen activities among few federations, which is an indication that there is light at the end of the tunnel depending on how we handle matters. At Athletics Kenya, the President, Jack Tuwei, has indicated that the marathon teams to the Commonwealth Games and World Half Marathon Championships will be named as early as next month.

PROPER PLANNING

This is a move in the right direction if we are to perform at both events. According to Tuwei, the 2018 athletics calendar is very tight considering that besides the two events, they will also have the Africa Cross Country Championships around the same time.

The IAAF World Half Marathon Championships will be held on March 24 in Valencia, Spain, while the Commonwealth Games, which are usually held in August, brought forward to April 4 to 15 in Queensland, Gold Coast.

He said the move has been necessitated by the fact that the athletes are preparing to sign contracts for next year.

This, he believes, will enable proper planning of their races for the 2018 season knowing that they have a duty to represent the country in Commonwealth Games and World Half Marathon Championships.

Furthermore, the organisers of the 2018 Commonwealth Games need entries for Team Kenya by January. I’m sure we can revive the old good days by doing things the right way.

Finally, I want to thank Nock for having faith in me and appointing me the Chef de Mission to the Commonwealth Games. This is a hefty responsibility and I hope to do my best to keep the Kenyan flag flying high.